Trapped Souls
by SoulEaterUnlimited
Summary: AU. Maka Albarn is left to fend for herself, dealing with every problem that's thrown her way. Just when it seems like her plate can't get any heavier, she has to play a hero and rescue a needy dog. No, if only it was a dog. She had to rescue an actual wolf. At least she wished it was a wolf... SxM {Hiatus}
1. Maka Albarn

A girl lies awake in bed as she listens to her parents bicker. She's just turned five years old and had just finished celebrating her birthday with her two loving parents. They were so happy during the day, for once she felt like the family was really enjoying each others company. Of course, like most nights, she was wrong. However, she didn't realize how wrong she was until she heard the sound of two small wheels rolling against the hard wood floor, and the sound of a door slamming shut. Silence followed the rest of the night. Her tears had lulled her to sleep, until morning had restored the strength in her arms.

She asked her Papa the most difficult question.

"Papa, where's Mama?", she gleamed up at him with hopeful eyes.

"Mama is leaving for a while baby, I don't know when she'll be back.", her Papa sighed.

He looks down at her with tears in his eyes. It had been a long night for both.

As the years flew by, more and more questions arose, building anger and anticipation.

_"Where is Mama, Papa?"_

_"I don't know baby."_

_"When's Mama coming home, Papa?"_

_"Hopefully soon baby."_

_"Why isn't Mama home yet?"_

_"I don't know baby."_

After a few more years of age, and even more unpromising answers.

_"Is Mama ever coming back?"_

_"I don't know, sweety."_

_"Why hasn't Mama come back? She said she would, right?"_

_"I don't know, sweety."_

_"Papa, who was that girl you were with? That wasn't Mama."_

_"I know, sweety."_

_"Papa, what were you doing with a different girl today? What happened to Mama?"_

_"I don't know, sweety."_

_"Papa, why don't you love Mama anymore?"_

_"I don't know, sweety."_

_"Papa you forgot my birthday, you promised you would be home!"_

_"I know, sweety."_

_"I hate you Papa! I wish Mama were here!"_

_"I know, sweety."_

The same, boring answer, after the same, meaningless questions. The girl had matured, as did her Papa, as did her hatred for humanity and then some. This girl had no interest in friends, they would let her down. They always did. She had no interest in family, they had let her down as well. She had no interest in life, all it did was betray her, and let her down.

This girl, is Maka Albarn.

* * *

It's midnight. I'm fifteen now, and I'm definitely old enough to understand Mama isn't coming home. However, that's not what's keeping me up tonight. Papa hasn't been home at all today. This isn't unusual or anything, I should have been used to this. Why did he have to miss my birthday again though? It's not like he hasn't done it before. So why is it hurting now? It hasn't hurt me like this before. Oh well, I'll just have to take the abrasive action for now, give into my tears and maybe get a few hours of sleep. There's no point in going to school tomorrow, Death City had been caught in the middle of a blizzard anyway. It would be a miracle if the school was still open.

Still, it's all terribly strange. None of it makes sense. One, why is it snowing, in the middle of a desert? That doesn't make sense! Also, Papa wouldn't leave me like this, not without letting me know he'd be gone. He hadn't said a word when he walked out the door, which I found a little strange but I didn't say anything. Why would I? I don't care about what happens to Papa, do I? Well, I guess I am grateful He lets me sleep in his house, under his roof, and eat his food. It's not like I need him though, do I? I hate him. He drove Mama away, he doesn't even stay home long enough to wish me a happy birthday. He forgot again didn't he? Yeah, probably. Oh well.

I shrugged it off.

_"Who cares anyway."_, I sighed.

I'm almost asleep, when I hear the doorbell ring. Strange, Papa has a key. Maybe he's drunk again and forgot?

I shrug that off too and jump out of bed, heading to the door. I check out of the little peep-hole for a moment. It isn't Papa.

Why is there a man in a suit at my doorstep? Why does he have a badge? Am I in trouble? Papa has some explaining to do!

"Hello?", I whisper, pretending I'm tired as I open the door.

"Maka Albarn?", he asks.

"Yes? Is something wrong?", I'm panicking now. Please, please, please! Don't let him arrest me! Not in my pajamas!

"I have some bad news. May I come inside?"

I nod and let him in. What? Am I supposed to say "_No!_" to a cop? Am I supposed to yell at him because my Papa hasn't returned? As much as I want to, I restrain and support my composure.

"So..What is it.", I sigh.

He takes a seat on the couch.

"You're going to want to sit down, Miss."

I don't like where this is going.

"Is something wrong?", I gulp.

"I'm afraid so.", he sighs.

I'm all ears.

"Do you know Spirit Albarn?"

"Papa?"

"Yes..", he rubs the back of his neck. He's practically sweating.

"What about him? Did he do something wrong? Why isn't he home?", I begin to hammer him with questions.

"Miss please this is very hard."

"What is it?", I panic.

"Spirit Albarn..", he took a deep breath, "He..", and again, "Spirit Albarn commit suicide at about 10:00 am."

My heart shattered into a million pieces.

"We found him this morning, he'd driven himself off of a cliff with a note attached to the steering wheel.", the man continued as he seemed to regain his own composure.

"_A.._", I stutter, "_A note?_"

"Yes. It contains a letter, explaining why he commit suicide, and on the back he'd written his dying wish. He'd like you to sell this house, and rent your own apartment. He explained leaving money for you in his will."

I was absolutely lost. I hated my Papa, but it's not like I wanted him to die. He didn't tell Mama to walk out, he just couldn't stop looking at other woman. He just couldn't change his ways, not even for me. At the last-minute he'd always walk out and abandon the people he cared about the most. That's what he's doing now, isn't it. He's leaving me behind just like Mama.

"Here's the note.", the man stated, passing me a small, yellow sticky note.

"Miss, are you alright?", he asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

My reflex insisted I swat it away. He didn't seem to mind, as he retracted his hand slowly.

I took a good look at the note.

"_Dear Maka,_

_Papa loves you, but I can't live like this anymore. I've disappointed so many people, I drove my wife to the door, and now my own daughter is suffering for it. I'm an excuse for a man, I can't change. I can't bring myself to living without the booze, Maka. If I continue on like this, I'll only end up hurting you. _

_Love, Papa._"

On the back, another message.

"_I wish nothing but the best for my darling daughter Maka. Continue your school work, live life to its fullest, stay away from boys, and take the money I've given to you in my will. Take it and continue your life, the way you're meant to. Do it without me and show everyone what a strong girl you are Maka. You can do it, I know you can._"

My heart continued to shatter. I practically felt it in my chest, the pain was unbearable. How was I supposed to go on, knowing I was part of the reason he did this! This isn't fair!

"I need to..", I choked back a few tears and stepped out as the man nodded, heading toward the doorway as well.

I waited until his car had pulled out of the driveway, and I continued on my own the street. I was in my pajamas, but I didn't care. The cold didn't bother me, not while I was hurting in so many other ways. It hurt, badly. I can't understand this. Why did Papa do this to me?

These thoughts continued, clouding my mind as I found myself wandering in an unknown direction. I had no idea where I was going, or why. All I knew is I wanted out. I didn't want to stay in that house another night, I just couldn't. I couldn't do it knowing I would soon have to move out, and live on my own. What's the matter with me? I know I'm independent I've been taking care of myself, and Papa for years. Why did he have to do this? Why couldn't he just get help.

_"Shut up Maka."_, I commanded. I can't take much more of this, if I continue to think this way I'll only end up like Papa, taking the easy way out.

I stumbled upon a dark, snow wrapped field. It's buried head to toe in a blanket of white. I looked behind me as I at last realized where I'd wandered off. I'm outside of Death City now.

I have no intention of going back, but I don't have control over my legs at the moment. I feel myself wandering over to a nearby cliff. It's definitely steep, why on earth would I be headed there. My heart stops as I look up.

A gray wolf is staring down at me, baring its fangs. I'm doomed, I have to be. I feel my heart rate speed a little as I look up to find the wolf accompanied by three more. They weren't matured like the mother, they were very young in fact. Weird, I didn't know wolves lived near Death City.

I don't have time to waste, I throw my hands up to my sides as I back away slowly. To my relief, the mother wolf lies on her side as she nurtures her puppies. It would be a beautiful sight if she hadn't just threatened to rip me apart. I turn around and break into a run, heading back to the city.

That was my last night spent in Papa's house. That was the night my life changed forever.

I had packed the last of my things and headed out the door for the last time, making my way down to the police station where they would finish handing off the rest of the items given to me in Papa's will. I was wrong when I thought he would perhaps leave me with the house, or any of his valuables. He left me with fifteen thousand dollars. Enough for the apartment, at least for a year or so, I hope. Counting food, water, and necessities, I don't know. I'll have to get a job. I'm going to have to study even harder now. No time for friends anymore, not that I had anything to worry about.

I have the feeling, things are about to become allot more difficult for me.

* * *

It's midnight. I'm not asleep yet, of course not. Some time after my father died, exactly two years ago, I had become an insomniac. I don't have the money for the medication. I can't continue buying medication, I'm cut off as of about a month ago. My money ran thin, I was struggling to pay rent. Fifteen thousand dollars, that was it, that was the money Papa had left for me. It had finally begun to run short, and I had only just turned seventeen. One more year of this, but then what? What am I supposed to do with no money? If my money even lasts another year.

I have to stop thinking like this. This is exactly what made me into an insomniac, I think too much. I had finished my eight-hour shift today, just after school. I have no time for breaks, no time for friends. At least, not for many. I have one, by the name of Blair. She's very helpful, but I won't become too attached to her. She's just a friend after all, once my money runs out she'll finally get bored with me and abandon me. Just like the rest.

_"Shut up Maka."_, I growl.

My inner-insanity was interrupted by a sudden growling emitting from the down the block. It sounds a bit strange, nothing at all like I've ever heard. Then again, I haven't heard much. I'm not much of a pet person, or a dog person, or a people person for that matter.

I have to investigate, it's apart of my natural bookworm nature. If it's deadly and it kills me, I don't have much to lose.

"_Who's there?_", I whisper in my quietest voice.

I'm not trying to whisper, I'm just tired. Unfortunately, I had the inability to sleep. Courtesy of insomnia.

I don't know why I was expecting an answer. I shrug it off and take a look down in the dark ally. Maybe I should have expected an answer, there's a man and a dog at the end of the ally.

"Hello?", I speak a little louder.

"Who's there.", the man snapped.

"Who are you?"

"None of your business. Get out of here kid."

"What are you doing?"

"Didn't you hear me! Scram you little brat!", this time he thrusts one arm forward, causing the dog, bound to this man by a thin leash, to yelp loudly.

"You're hurting that dog, aren't you!", I pointed my finger accusingly at the man.

I may not like animals, but that doesn't I'll sit back and watch this guy abuse an innocent dog.

"What's it to you, you little brat. This isn't a dog. Get out of here!", he yanked the leash once more and the dog continued growling.

"I demand you let the dog go!"

"Are you kidding me! You're joking right? Scram you little bitch!"

One last option comes to mind. I can't believe I'm doing this.

"I'll pay you for the dog.", I gulped.

Why do I even care! What's wrong with me!? It's just a stupid dog!

"How much..", he muses.

"Fifty dollars."

"Scram."

"One hundred dollars."

I'll punish myself for this later.

"Deal! Take the mutt and go!", he ordered, shoving past me, placing the leash carelessly in my hand. I huff and pull out my wallet, holding out two fifty dollar bills.

I'm a bit puzzled by what had just happened. Did I seriously pay money for this thing? What's wrong with me! I barely have enough money to pay rent as it is!

I growl a bit. This dog better be worth it.

I pull the leash forward, walking backwards a bit making sure the dog isn't strained. So far the dog has been silent, which is good. I would have been truly pissed if it was fighting me, all the while I just rescued it from its abusive owner.

A few more blocks and I reach my apartment. It's a little run down, not in the best shape, but it's better than nothing. I step inside and flick on the lights. I pull the dog inside silently as I feel my heart rate stop.

My chest hurts.

I didn't buy a dog, no. I wasn't smart enough to ask about the breed, or the age, or where he'd gotten the dog in the first place. No, I was stupid, and purchased a living, growing, pure white Wolf.

"Oh my god.", I gasp.

The wolf cocks its head at me, as if I'd just said something utterly confusing.

Now I'm beyond creeped out. One, I bought a wolf. Second, I bought a wolf, third, did I mention I bought a wolf? No, as if buying a wolf wasn't bad enough, this wolf had pure white fur, red eyes, and very sharp fangs. I just had to do it. I had to buy a wolf, didn't I? Nice going Maka.

Instantly, I drop the leash and crawl backwards, hiding behind the couch. The wolf cocks its head once more and stares at me, remaining in place. I bet the little traitor is contemplating ways to eat me now. I should never have done this, I hate dogs, I hate pets, I hate people, I hate wolves! What was I thinking!

I peek out from behind the couch as I notice the dog laying down. On the bright side, he doesn't seem full-grown. He isn't big enough to be an adult, yet he's far from being a pup. Do they have a name for that? Right, I think it's called teenager. Great, just great, I bought a teenage wolf.

_"Be brave Maka."_, I chide myself lightly, _"It isn't going to hurt you."_

I step out a little as the wolf rests its head on the floor. Its eyes are wide open, aware of my every movement. We stay that way for at least ten minutes, just staring at each other as if it were normal. As if I hadn't just bought a real wolf. Were pets even allowed in the apartment? If they were, I don't think a wolf would count. No, I'm definitely going to get kicked out now.

"Well.", I sigh, "I get the feeling one or two things are going to happen."

The wolf cocks its head again as I approach slowly.

"One, you're going to eat me. Second, I'm going to get kicked out for not paying the rent AND harboring a wolf in a no-pets-allowed building."

The wolf blinked. It actually blinked, as if it had just responded to my complaints. I don't know, I'm losing it. It's definitely my insomnia talking.

I crawled a bit closer. I didn't seem to faze the wolf as it lay there on the floor, staring right past me. It felt as if he was looking through my soul.

_"Not now insomnia."_, I snapped at myself.

I'm amazed at how close I was now. I'd actually gotten so close to the beast, I could have pet it if I wanted to. Which I don't, I just need the name tag. Luckily I'd taken the liberty of noticing the dog wearing a black, leather collar.

"Don't hurt me little guy.", I stutter, the beast ignores it, "I just want to read your name tag."

I'm freaked out as it is, first, I buy a wolf. Now, what's it doing? It's lifting its head and showing me its collar. I've had enough weird for one night.

_"Just read the stupid collar."_, I order myself in silence.

The collar holds all the basic information, everything except for a return address The back of the circular license reads, "Male, Albino Wolf.", figures. The name tag is just as disturbing as the dogs appearance.

"What's your name?", I ask as if it would answer me.

"What does this say...", I mutter, rubbing the dust off of the collar.

That's it, I must be losing my mind. The beast looked like it actually nodded. It shook its head so it resembled a slight nod as I read its name aloud off of the dusty dog tag,

"Soul Eater?"


	2. Work

**Maka's a little OOC but I can't help that, it's an AU after all.**

* * *

Soul Eater. His name is Soul Eater.

"Alright, I've had enough of this. I'm calling it a night.", I tell myself as I walk out of the room.

As if I hadn't suffered enough, the Beast is following me.

"Go to sleep.", I command.

He cocks his head again and stops dead in his tracks.

_"Did he really just listen to me?"_, I think to myself.

No, of course not, who would listen to Maka Albarn? I obviously lied to myself again as the thing slipped away from me, into my room.

"No.", I command as I walk through the door, "Get out of here. No..wolves allowed in my room.", that's one thing I never thought I'd hear myself say.

I swear the dog just rolled its eyes at me as it walked out. I'm going insane. I'm absolutely insane. It's official, I've lost my mind. Someone should just call the insane asylum and tell them to make up a bed for me. No, that would be too merciful. Maybe they would just use my body as a test subject once they're done with me.

It's hopeless. Why did I lie to myself back there? As if I could just "_Call it a night_"! It's not that easy, I can't just wave a magic wand and sleep like the rest of the world. No, my insomnia won't allow it, and I doubt it's going to get any better after what had just happened tonight. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I started hallucinating Actually, there's a good chance the wolf is just in my imagination and I bought a normal dog! Maybe my insomnia passed and it had all been a dream! Yeah! That's it, I'm dreaming. I just need to wake up now..

I sit in my bed for a while, until I feel myself slowly..silently drifting to sleep.

My dream ended the minute it began. I was asleep long enough to feel a moment of peace, I could almost visualize myself in a dream like trance. Almost. It didn't last long because I soon woke up to a familiar, startled voice.

"Maka!", she screamed.

"Blair?!", I ran into the living room and found my good friend Blair, cornering herself on top of the kitchen counter.

I rub my eyes for a second before looking down, then I see what she was so afraid of.

Damn. So it wasn't a dream. I bought a wolf.

"Blair relax, he's not dangerous.", I notice the beast steal a quick glance at me, "At least I don't think so."

"Maka! Where did you get a wolf?!", she panicked.

"It's a long story Blair. Please, don't make this any more difficult. Just get down and give him a chance, will you?", I sigh, rubbing my eyes once more. By now I was longing for sleep.

"Maka sweety, what's wrong? You look tired!", she immediately jumped off of the counter to place her hands on my both of my cheeks, staring into my eyes.

"I almost got some sleep last night.", I began, before she could feel too happy for me, "It didn't work out."

"Aww! I'm sorry to hear that Maka! I hope everything works out~!", she cheers, raising her hands in a cat-like stance.

"Thanks Blair.", I mutter.

"Are you going to school today Maka?", she asks, as if the answer wasn't completely obvious.

"Of course. Why would I miss it?"

"Oh I don't know. It just seems like you've worked really hard lately, is something bothering you?"

The same thing that's been bothering me for the past two years.

"No, nothing at all. In fact, I don't think I've worked enough. I'm going to pick up another shift at the diner later today."

"Are you sure that's a good idea Maka? You're barely getting enough sleep as it is!"

I roll my eyes, "I don't sleep, Blair. If I'm going to stay awake all night, I should at least do something productive."

She bit her lip a little, "Whatever you say Maka. How about you give me a shopping list and I'll go pick up a few things? You need food for your new dog right?"

I roll my eyes once more, "He isn't my dog, Blair. He isn't even a dog, and pets aren't allowed in the apartment, let alone wolves. I need to figure out what I'm going to do with him..", I sigh, "But in the mean time, I'd love it if you could pick up some dog food, Blair.", I finish, attempting my best smile.

"Alright! Have fun at school Maka!", she pulls out a note pad, scribbles a shopping list and heads out the door once more.

As of now, I'm let alone again with the beast.

"What are you looking at?", I raise an eyebrow as I notice the beast staring at me.

He turns away, as if he'd understood every word.

Weird dog. No, weird wolf. Why did I buy that thing again? Something about abuse? Weird, albino, red-eyed, freaky dog.

I sit myself down for a quick bowl of cereal, which I now noticed I'm running out of. As soon as I finish my cereal, I run into my room and throw on my signature large, black trench coat. I notice the beast staring at me again as I walk into the living room, dropping my book bag on the couch.

"Don't stare at me like that..", I mutter.

Once again, he turns his head as if he'd understood every word. I'm losing my mind.

"I'm leaving.", I sigh as I open the door, "Stay quiet. If you end up getting me kicked out I'll give you back to that loser."

For a second, I could have sworn the Beast was laughing at me.

"_Stupid insomnia._", I mutter as I walk out, locking the door.

I made it to school right on time, 7:00 exactly. 7:00 meant I had five minutes to get to class and take my seat, and if I'm lucky, get a head start on the lesson. I keep that thought in mind as I run up to my locker, only to find a white envelope sticking out of it. Gross, it's sealed with a heart.

I raise my eyebrow as I open the envelope, and of course, I find a love letter. Tell me this is a joke.

I read the note in my head, _"Dear Maka,"_, it begins, _"I've admired you for a while now and I was hoping you'd do me the honor of becoming mine. Meet me here for your answer, Friday, after school."_, below the word here was an arrow pointing to a map drawn at the bottom of the letter. He wanted me to meet him behind the school.

_"Stupid."_, I mutter to nobody besides myself, _"As if I was really interested in anybody. As if anybody's interested in me! What kind of joke is this?!"_, I grit my teeth a little as I shove the note back in my locker, retrieving the books.

During class I sit through an interesting lecture, (interesting in my opinion) and endure countless people turning their heads, staring at me, sometimes giggling, and acting as if nothing had happened. Pointless. I've grown too used to their teasing, it doesn't bother me anymore.

As soon as class is over I dart out the door, only to find a few more people giggling as I walk by. Also used to this, I ignore it and endure six more periods of school.

My highschool is average. It's agonizingly boring, the only fun I have there is that which I find during the lessons. I love to read, and I love to learn. I spend my time studying, and reading, and that's it. That's exactly why I am kicking myself for the tenth time today, wondering why I bought an actual wolf. I'm not a hero, I can't just keep it. I don't have money for food, I owe Blair enough as it is, and if I get one more late-rent notification tacked on my doorway I'm going to lose it. No, I've already lost it. I'm going to get evicted.

I shove the irritating thoughts out of my head as I head home, for a moment. The beast is on the couch, laying on its side.

"Animal! No!", I scream, waking the beast, "Off the couch!"

It cocks its head at me, and silently obeys. Luckily there were no eviction notices stamped on my doorway, I should be alright. I find it difficult to believe that the thing was actually silent, however.

I throw my backpack on the couch and head out the door once more, locking it again.

"I'll deal with the Beast later.", I mutter as I scramble out of the door.

I work at the diner. It's a boring job, really, and it can get fairly irritating. However, it's better than nothing. I'm in a tight spot and they offered minimum wage. It was more than enough to convince me to accept the job. They were hesitant about hiring me, but I assured I would work hard, and I did. I'm one of the most efficient employees. The woman who owns the diner had been the one who'd hired me. The man, however, tried to come up with every excuse about why I, under any circumstances, shouldn't be permitted to work there. He hasn't warmed up to me at all.

I'm not kidding, this man absolutely hates me. His name is "_Free._". Weird, right? I was a bit surprised, however. The woman, his wife, "_Medusa_", was nicer than I'd expected. She seemed a little scary at first, what with the strange tattoos on her arms and the sinister look she'd sometimes carry, but other than that she was alright. She has two kids, as far as I know. What were their names again..Chrona..and.. Ragnarok? Sounds about right, though I've only seen one of them.

Ragnarok. The most hateful, rudest person on the planet. He's an absolute nightmare to have around the diner. He doesn't work here, no, I have the pleasure of being his own personal server. He tortures me.

Sometimes while I'm catering to the other customers, he'll trip me and I'll end up nearly spilling every damn tray. He hasn't gotten me to break, however. I don't know how, it seems impossible, but I've managed to beat Ragnarok at every little game he's tried to play.

"Maka?", I hear a woman's voice.

"Yes lady Medusa?", I call as I rush to put on my apron.

"Could you come here for a moment?"

I obey and follow her into the kitchen.

"Free insists on a new, "fun" atmosphere for the diner. I think he's crazy but, I don't want to spark a fight between us, especially one he'd lose, it isn't right to challenge a man's masculinity before his birthday, you know?"

I nodded as she glances at me and continued to shuffles through a box in the back of the supply closet.

"Well he wants to try something new. After a lot of discussion and many shot down ideas, we went with a productive, entertaining idea. It might help increase productivity as well."

I nodded again as she stole another glass, dropping the box on the floor.

"That's why he's insisted on,", she flashed a look of quick disgust as she pulled something out of the box.

God no.

"Roller-skates."

I'm doomed.

"Are you sure roller-skates would be a good idea, lady Medusa? I've never been roller-skating a day in my life..", I lied.

I had roller-skated before, that was the problem. I skate terribly. Absolutely terribly.

"You'll learn on the job I'm sure. Oh, and I'm afraid you won't be waiting tables today. Ragnarok requested another private feeding.

God, have some mercy.

"You'll be able to handle it won't you?", she asks, pulling me back into reality.

"Yes Ma'am." I'm doomed.

"Good, I have complete faith in you Maka. So long as you keep Free off my back.", she smirked as she dismissed a pair of roller-skates into my hands.

I would be surprised if I didn't end up getting fired. The minute I put the skates on I roll myself into the nearest door! On top of the fact I have no idea how to skate, Ragnarok is my one and only customer?! I would've chosen having to handle twenty thousand customers other than just one Ragnarok! Now would be a good time to pray..

"Right, because he's heard me the billion other times I've prayed to him.", I mutter in pure bitterness, gripping the walls as I gingerly try to glide out of the door.

I see Ragnarok in the farthest corner of the diner. He's wearing his usual obnoxious outfit, a pair black, dirty jeans, a purposely tattered black T-shirt, and ruffled, disgusting, matted black hair. His eyes were almost a pure white, there was only a thin layer of black surrounding the pupil. In other words, he was absolutely creepy for his age. How old was he anyway? He couldn't be more than what, twelve maybe?

"Hello Ragnarok.", I greet in my best voice as he smashes a fork and knife on the table.

"Maka! How's my favorite waitress!", he screams in his ear shattering, annoying voice.

"I'm fine Ragna-"

"One grand slam, two sausages, four hash browns and one plate of mashed potatoes!", he interrupts.

Is he eating for two?!

"Right away Ragna-"

"Also, what's up with your outfit! As if that goofy apron wasn't bad enough, you're wearing roller skates?! This should go well!", he chuckled, kicking his legs under the table.

Asshole.

I grit my teeth a bit as I ignore his taunting, heading back to the kitchen. Free was on cooking duty today. Of course, no mercy.

"Maka, what is it, chop-chop, you're quicker than that aren't you?!", he snaps his fingers as he ushers me through the doorway.

I can't help but feeling a little sluggish, these stupid roller skates are a nightmare. Stupid Free.

"I need one grand slam, two sausages, four hash browns and one plate of mashed potatoes.", I stutter, gripping the doorway.

"I don't care about what you need, I care about what the customer needs.", he chuckled.

Such a clever prick.

"I'm sorry.", I murmur, "Ragnarok needs it."

"Complete sentence."

"Ragnarok needs one grand slam, two sausages, four hash browns and one plate of mashed potatoes.", I say through grit teeth.

He didn't notice.

"Better.", he laughed, releasing an awkwardly wide grin.

He almost looked like an animal. Behind the white cooking apron he wore a pair of ripped jeans, tattered shirt, and a musky, Greece written face. His ears almost looked pointed, my original name for "Free" was the "beast" but recently the one called "_Soul Eater_" has won that title.

Not even a moment later, he tosses a tray at me. I barely catch it as he throws on a grand slam, a plate of sausages, four plates of hash browns, and one plate of mashed potatoes. They're basically towering over the tiny tray as I try my best to make my way slowly out of the door. Knowing Ragnarok, he's patiently awaiting my return, with one foot out and a possible weapon behind his back.

"Maka!", he shouts from across the room, "Hurry up! You're so slow!"

He's asking for a roller-skate up his ass.

"Coming Ragnarok.", I sigh as I kneel down.

Silently, I balance the tray of food neatly in one hand, while using the other to gently push-off. Ragnarok's table is only a few feet away from me, perfect. He won't beat me this time.

"Slug. Give it here!", he wines as I set the tray on the table, before I give myself the chance to drop it.

"Here you go Ragnarok.", I reply in my nicest voice, ready to roller-skate away when..

"Cow!"

Oh I'll kill this kid.

"Sorry Ragnarok.", I grit my teeth again, "Is there something else you wanted?"

"Another grand slam!", he commands as I notice he's nearly finished with his.

This kid isn't human.

"Right away Ragna-"

"Hurry!"

Annoying.

The process repeats.

Several.

Times.

At last, Medusa enters the diner, picking Ragnarok like the little child he is, carrying him out the door. He protests, but as Medusa would seem like a very "scary" mother, he obeys. She's a little off, but she makes a good boss when you stay on her good side. Ragnarok never complains to Medusa as I promise never to complain about Ragnarok sneaking out to the diner late at night. God knows I would if Medusa wasn't his mother, and my boss.

Eight.

Hours.

Luckily, the customers I had served weren't as needy as Ragnarok, and they certainly didn't call me a cow. A few people gave me a bit of strange looks as I rolled across the floor with the trays, but others clapped as they'd noticed my earlier troubles with Ragnarok and the skates of death. Like I said, I always beat Ragnarok, every single game.

"Alright Maka!", Free slapped his hands together as I entered the kitchen, "Since you've kept most of the customers happy, and Medusa seems happy, you're free to go home!"

He's right, when Medusa isn't happy, nobody is happy.

I give him a quick, polite nod, immediately pulling off my apron and the damned skates and run out the door. My next shift isn't as complicated. Luckily, my next shift doesn't consist of spoiled children, deranged chefs, or irritating roller-skates. I work the night shift at the local formal clothing store, consisting mainly of tuxedo's, dresses, and shoes. My job is to shine the shoes.

_Every. Single. Shoe._

In case you're wondering, yes this does include the shoes on the customers. If they ask then I have to scrape whatever it is off of their fancy little shoes, and I must be polite about it. I do it diligently, no questions asked, but I have a free mind and that definitely won't be silenced any time soon. If I repeated any one of my thoughts out loud at that store, I would definitely be fired.

Luckily, I keep my mouth shut.

No customers had come in today. The beauty of working the night shift, I barely have to take care of any people. It's very rare for somebody to go dress or tie shopping at 10:00 at night. However, the inventory was pitiful. Throughout the day each shoe has gone through a number of scrapes, dirt, "accidents" and a few unmentionable events in which I have no idea how they happen, but they do.

_"Oh well."_, I tell myself as I shrug it off and complete work at my last shift for the day.

My boss, Mr. Buttataki has eagerly dismissed me. Come to think of it, he owns a coffee shop down town.

_"Tomorrow I'll ask him for a shift working down there. I'm sure I can squeeze it in, maybe before school or later at night."_, I thought.

What? It's not like I need sleep. Even so, it's not like I'm getting any.

At last, I'm home. Now I'm surrounded by nothing but the comfort of my run down, pathetic apartment. Thank god I get paid this week.

The minute I walk through the door, the beast is waiting for me in the kitchen. He's staring at the door in complete silence, even once I enter.

I may not like this thing but I have to admit he's pretty well-behaved. On the other hand, anybody would be behaved after having to live with a guy like the one Eater had lived with.

Automatically, I surrender my body to the floor. Today has been agonizing, I haven't gotten a break since this morning. All of it with no sleep, I don't know whether to pat myself on the back or end it all.

"What to do you want, Eater.", I mutter as he treads over to my fallen body.

He cocks his head and nudges my hand.

"No.", I command.

He does it again.

"No."

Again.

"Did Blair ever buy your food or are you just getting a kick out of bothering me."

"Maka? Is that you?", Blair calls.

Is she..in my room?

My thoughts relinquish as she opens the bathroom door, walking out in nothing but a towel.

"Can't you shower at your own house?", I sigh silently.

"Sorry Maka!~", she flashes an apologetic smile as she looks down on my battered body, "Rough day at work I take it?"

"Ragnarok."

"Aww, I'm sorry to hear that Maka.", this time she bends down, patting my head and leaves the room to continue her shower.

If sleep meant having to sit here until I finally lost all conscientiousness, I would gladly do it. However, life has never been that easy.

Meanwhile, the beast just sits there staring at me. I think he's gotten the message, if he nudges my hand one more time, he will become the answer to my hunger problems.

After about thirty minutes, Blair exits the bathroom, fully dressed, (well, as dressed as Blair can get) and takes a seat on the couch.

"Maka is there anything you need?"

"Sleep."

"I wish you'd go back on your pills Maka, they'll help you!", she flashed a bit of a frown.

"I'm just fine without them. I don't need sleep, less sleep means more time for work, and more time for work means more money. If I make enough money, I can maybe buy Papa's house back."

I swear the beast threw his head up laughing when I said I didn't need the pills. No, insomnia is just playing with me again.

"Maka, have you taken what you-know-who said into consideration?~", Blair smirks, as if she'd been sharing an inside joke.

"Blair, I have no idea what you're talking about."

She pouts a bit, "You didn't get the letter?"

My eyes light up with slight frustration. I'd almost forgotten.

"I don't know who it's from, and I don't want to know.", I sigh.

"It's from Hiro!"

"The transfer kid?"

She nods and flashes another smile, "You should accept!~"

"I really don't want to.", I sigh once more.

"It'll be fun! I promise!~", she flashes her signature cat-like hand stance.

"You and I have a very different definition of the word "fun", Blair.", I roll my eyes as I notice the dog, laying down next to me.

"It's hard enough getting any time to myself with the Beast around.", I mutter.

The Beast heeds my warning, sitting up and walking away from me.

"I don't think he's a beast, he's so cute!", Blair claps her hands as she urges the beast over to her.

He refuses, and sits down in the kitchen.

"Maka, if you don't go out with the poor kid, I might!~", she exclaimed with a slight smirk.

I laugh a bit, "Go ahead Blair, in fact have the time of your life!"

"I say you give him one chance! This Saturday, your day off right? One day! Plus, you'll have a little extra cash in your back pocket."

As of now, I'm willing to do anything to shut her up.

"Please don't make me..", I try one last time.

"Sorry Maka, we both know it's going to happen.", she purrs.

Yes, she purrs. The woman purrs.

"One.", I growl in defeat, "One if it'll get you off my back."

"Nya!~", she claps her hands in triumph, "I'll even let you borrow one of my outfits!"

"That's really not necessary Blair.", I panic.

I've seen her outfits.

"I'll dress you up and everything! Hiro will be all over you!", she cheers once more.

The beast looked at me with his strange face. It's come to my attention that insomnia may cause hallucinations, because I swear I thought I just saw that dog laugh at me.

This week, was going to be a long one.


	3. A Little Less Than Normal

Another sleepless night. Blair finally stopped trying to dress me in her little outfits, which I should have known I'd have nothing to worry about. Every one of them were either too big or too baggy around certain areas. My insomnia must have gotten worse, for a moment I could have sworn the beast had laughed at me as I walked out of my room, wearing the goofy outfit. Stupid wolf, what do you know anyway? You're a wolf.

I'm talking about the beast behind its back. I've lost it.

Blair dropped off an outfit this morning. It was a light blue skirt, which I thanked her for, and a white tank top. She decided to meet me half way, and buy a light blue, miniature jacket that cut off below my chest. I'm not exactly sure what it's called, she never mentioned that. She told me it would help cover my arms and a part of my chest though, which it did, and I was grateful for that.

I hopped out of bed and quickly hopped in the shower, fed myself, then threw on my much more promising school uniform and black trench coat. I loved my trench coat more than any silly outfit, especially one so revealing.

Another day at school, another day of constant teasing, another day of torture.

Today there was no note in my locker, thankfully. It was Thursday. I decided I'd meet up with him tomorrow and say yes. I might as well, god know if I didn't I would never hear the end of it. Blair would never let it go. School flies by with a breeze, another day of attentive listening, taking diligent note, earning strange looks from the other students, and tuning the rest of the world out. To others, I was as anti-social as they come. To me, I work very hard.

I dropped my book bag and trench coat off as soon as I hit the door, nearly dropping them on the dog (oops) and continued back out to my job. I was lucky, the diner was across the street. I didn't have any other mode of transportation, so this compensated.

Today, they had done something so utterly evil, so devious and cunning, it sickened me to the very bone.

They upgraded me to roller-blades.

I tripped three ties, scraped my knee twice, spilled the food four times, I'd been lectured five times, and worst of all, I had to serve Ragnarok. In other words, it was exhausting. A part of me wished they would just hurry up and fire me. Somehow, in a matter of minutes, I had become their least productive waitress. It was humiliating. Ragnarok had gotten what he'd wanted, and had the privilege of watching me mess up. Free had gotten the privilege of lecturing me five times, three of which I didn't deserve. He hadn't been watching me, he hadn't even seen e drop the trays. He wasn't very smart, he only assumed a coincidence once I ordered the same food twice.

At last, another eight agonizing hours, finished. They hadn't fired me, to Ragnarok's and mostly my surprise. I'd already been amazed at the fact they'd hired me for the job in the first place, let alone keep me this long. This has been my third month working here, definitely not long enough to keep me as a regular, loyal employee, but I guess it was enough to have a little bit of faith in me.

Now, it was time for another shift at the stupid clothing store. I don't even like shopping, I was just desperate for work, and if that meant having to put up with gross shoes then so be it.

The night was quiet, I ended my shift early as Buttataki appeared in a good mood. I'd even made it a point to ask him about the cafe, and I was unlucky. He had no more positions open at a reasonable schedule, the only positions he had open were that of a waitress, which I wouldn't do twice, and either way it was a job done during school. I guess that's what he does while I'm in school.

_"Oh well."_, I thought.

Home at last. Blair wasn't there, which meant no having to protest over what "outfit" I'll be forced to wear on my "date". The beast was sleeping peacefully on the couch, so far no intrusions from him. I assume Blair's been feeding him, I haven't exactly been watching him eat. I'm barely home, after all. If he was my child, I would've felt just like Papa.

No, I go out to work, not to bring home another whore.

_"Stop it Maka."_, I command myself.

I decided I would take a shower, it was only best for me considering it was the closest relaxation there was next to sleep. At least that's what I thought before I started struggling with the hot water. Nowadays it seems like everything around here is has a price tag, which meant more work, which meant more headaches.

I soaked in the bath tub for a while, underneath the scorching hot water, enjoying every minute of it. I might as well indulge, it definitely won't last long. As soon as I stepped out of the shower, I cursed myself as I looked down at my wet clothes. I'd neglected to completely shut the shower curtains, meanwhile carelessly dropping my clothes on the floor. Now I would have no choice but to sleep in my pajama's, which I originally loathed. Pajama's were a sign of sleep, and sleep was something I didn't have the pleasure of receiving.

I opened the bathroom door in nothing but a towel, and was immediately facing the Beast.

"What are you staring at.", I growled, looking down at the snow-white creature.

No answer, what was I thinking?

"I guess I shouldn't mind walking around in a towel, not with just you in the house anyway. You're a dog, what could you possibly know.", I laughed a bit at the thought of being self-conscious around an animal.

"Are you alright?", I raised my eyebrow at the dog, who had a small amount of blood seeping out of its nose.

Is that a bad thing?

I shrugged it off, gave the wolf a slight affectionate pat and headed into my room for the night. I chose my second best outfit, another red plaid skirt accompanied by a yellow school vest.

If I would've known what the next day had in store, I most likely would've stayed in bed forever. Oh well, time to face the mother of all weekdays.

* * *

Friday.

6:00 in the morning. Being the insomniac I know I am, I sat on the couch, glaring at the white demon sitting below my feet, sniffing the floor. I don't know why it is I'd come to have such a dislike for him, it was almost natural. Nothing about him appealed to me, the only reason I'd in fact taken him in was because it'd be the right thing to do.

My thoughts ceased as I heard a loud knock on the door, meaning it wasn't Blair.

"Albarn!", the voice hissed, "Open up!"

I knew who it was, meaning I had very little time to hide the Beast. I did the only logical thing. I had to hide him in the bathroom, and lock him in. Luckily, I had a key and I was more than capable of opening the door when necessary. Until then I could lie and say Blair was soaking in the tub, which she still didn't completely approve of, but I figured she'd have a harder time approving of a live white wolf than Blair.

The knocking grew louder as I approached the door.

_"Albarn! I know you're in there and I know you aren't sleeping!"_

I flinched a bit at the last part of her sentence.

_"Albarn! Open up this instance!"_, she screamed louder.

I opened the door and wore my best smile.

She invited herself in, and I took a moment to notice she looked utterly..ridiculous. Her hair was up in pink curls, her face soaked in an avocado mask, and she wore a bright pink floral robe. She also wore this deranged look on her face, making it difficult to take her seriously at any moment. Though, I usually managed to keep up a perfect composure, figuring my house is on the line.

"How may I help you Mrs. Anna?", I greeted with a wide, polite smile.

"Don't _"How may I help you"_ me, Albarn. Do you know what you're missing?", she pointed an accusing finger directly at my forehead.

I knew it, but playing dumb seemed like the better idea.

"No Mrs. Anna. I have no idea.", I lied.

"Your rent!", she hissed, narrowing her eyebrows, "You're missing your rent! How many times have we done this, Albarn, and how many more times are we going to have to do it?!"

I sighed and gave up my pitiful act, "I'm sorry Mrs. Anna, I promise I will have your money soon. In fact, I think I'll have it later today. Just running a little late with the pay check, that's all."

Her face was a deep red, "Did you think I would let you free-load off of my apartment forever?! If it weren't for Spirit being a good friend of mine, you'd be out on the streets by now! If I had things my way, Spirit wouldn't have left me to deal with his daughter! Do you know why he left you with me, Albarn?"

I cringed a bit, "No Mrs. Anna."

"He did it just to spite me!", she now raised both of her fists in the air, waving them rapidly.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Anna.", I lied.

"Your rent better be in my hands by 9:00 today! Do you understand me? No excuses!", she huffed, leaving the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

I took a deep breath and unlocked the bathroom door, letting out the demon dog who now took possession of my household. If I lost my house, I'd have no place for him. His endangerment, would not be my responsibility.

"That is why I ask you to stay quiet, Eater.", I huffed.

He cocked his head at me, and nodded.

I've concluded I should probably go back on my pills, but not after what just happened with Mrs. Morning breath.

"I'm talking to a wolf.", I sweat dropped and gave up on trying to relax this morning, getting ready for school. Thankfully, I have just enough time after school to say yes to Hiro, against my will of course, then rush over to my job. My second job is only part-time, and I don't have to go today. That means I have just enough time to hand Mrs. Anna my pay check. Which means I won't get evicted, and I won't have to eat the wolf for food. (Not that I've taken it into consideration of course). Much.

"I'm leaving, Eater. Stay extra quiet today and if you see Mrs. Anna, hide in the bath tub. You see to understand me well enough," I sighed, knowing very well what I was about to say, "I'm counting on you Eater.", I narrow my eyebrows as I look at the Beast. He seems to understand for the most part, which means I shouldn't have too much to worry about.

I throw on my trench coat and book bag, and in a matter of minutes I'm off to school.

School wasn't as terrible as I thought it might be, except all day I've thrown a few nonchalant glances at Hiro. He wasn't that bad, I guess. However, he was the typical male. Men are horrible, that's reason enough to instantly hate him. So far he hasn't caught me glaring at him once, yet he's managed to throw back a few smug little smirks.

"Blair, this date better be pretty damn amazing.", I growled in my mind for a moment.

At last, three long tests, four assignments, nothing important, and the day is finally done. 3:00 and I'm out the door faster than anybody else. Anybody, except Hiro, that is. He'd apparently been waiting for me some time before I'd showed up. That was odd, I could have sworn he had the same class as me. Why hadn't I noticed him leave?

"Hello Hiro.", I sighed in my best voice.

"Hello Miss Maka.", he smiled.

"Was there something you wanted to talk about?", I asked, playing perfectly dumb.

"Yes actually, I was hoping maybe..", he leaned up against the back wall for a moment, "I would have the privilege of taking you out on a date, maybe?"

He flashed his annoying little grin.

"Sure,", I said through grit teeth, "Does Saturday work for you? It's the only day I have-.."

"Wonderfully!", he interrupted.

"Alright.", I sweat-dropped a bit as I firmly gripped my book bag, "I'll meet you at..Joe's cafe?"

"That sounds magnificent!", he cheered.

Damn this kid was strange, and I bought a wolf.

"Alright..", I sweat-dropped again, "See you there.", and with that, I was speeding off to work.

I found it very convenient that I didn't live too far from the school, or from the little shopping district that held both of my jobs. Medusa took the location of my apartment into convenience as well, I've ended up babysitting Ragnarok three times. I nearly killed the twerp.

"Afternoon Maka.", Medusa greeted as I hopped through the door.

I fought back a laugh, she was wearing roller-skates.

"Afternoon Lady Medusa.", I said in my greatest, composed voice.

"Free said he had a special job for you, so I'll be taking over your shift for the day. Go see what he wants and tell him if he knows what's good for him he'll get started on those damn burgers I ordered thirty minutes ago.", she pointed an accusing finger at the kitchen, where Free worked.

The first thing that caught my attention, Free had a job for me. Whenever Free had a job for me, it was always so agonizingly, idiotically complicated, that I loathed both of us. Him for giving me such a stupid job, me for accepting it. The second thing I noticed, Medusa seemed a little off. Usually when she greets me, she has a complex smile plastered on her face. I never understood her smile, it was neither inviting nor threatening. Yet, today, she seemed so disturbed when I walked in. I've never seen her that way, at least not around me. I have no idea what her relationship with Free is like, or her relationship with her sons, or even that with any friends. Could she be troubled by something? No, for a moment it seemed like I was the one hurting her.

_"Focus Maka."_, I thought as I tied my apron tight around my waist.

I took a deep breath.

"**Maka!**", a loud, booming voice exploded through the kitchen.

"Dammit Free.", I cursed under my breath as the loud noise had distracted me, causing my fingers to slip and undo the tie.

I took one last deep breath, securely tying the bow in the back, and walked off into the kitchen. It felt good walking, knowing for once I wouldn't have to deal with in the skates. Though, whatever Free had in store for me, would certainly make me wonder.

"Maka!", he purposely shouted as I entered.

"Yes Free?", I sighed.

"I have a special job for you today."

Silence.

"Would you like to know what that job is?"

I nodded before speaking, "Medusa says she wants her burgers ready."

"Let the snake wait for them.", he laughed, "I need you to walk around the corner and dump these in the dumpster."

He lifted up a box and placed it firmly in my hands. It was heavy, and a few things in the box seemed to be a bit fragile. Cooking-ware maybe?

"What is it?", I cocked my head a little as I reached out a finger, about to open the box..

"**NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.**", he boomed, swatting my fingers away.

Something seemed off. Both Free and Medusa were acting their unusual strange. The worst Free will ever do to me is humiliate me, or throw his obnoxious voice in my ear. That's it, however, he never physically or verbally "attacks" me. Something is definitely off.

"I'll do it right away Free.", I sighed.

"Oh and Maka,", he interrupted once more as I made my way to the door.

I turned around briefly to look him in the eye. He treats me like a child if I don't, it's best to avoid conflict.

"I think it would be best if you took the day off, Medusa will handle the rest of your shift.", he smiled.

Something was definitely wrong.

I raised my eyebrow at him, something about the look he was giving me, told me it would be better to listen. I nodded hesitantly.

"Great!", he slapped his hands together, "Go have fun kid."

I obeyed, taking the seemingly fragile box outside. The dumpster was a block away and there was a trash can right next to the building. I didn't see why he wanted me to throw them all the way over there. I've known his past requests to be overly complicated, even when they're the simplest of jobs, but really, this is what he'd come up with? I'd expected something humiliating, or utterly demeaning. If this was the Free that taunted me every other day of the week, why was he letting me off so easy?

I reached the dumpster down the block, throwing the box inside and shutting the lid. I headed back into the diner, picked up my bag and coat, placing my apron in my locker. Once I had collected myself, I took a deep breath and walked out the door. There was no sign of Ragnarok either, which was a little strange. Usually when Medusa was in, she'd keep one of her boys with her, or at least Free would be waiting some of the tables. The diner was quite small, the most amount of waiters we'd ever needed had to be about two or three. Three maybe a bit of a stretch, the diner was just that small. I was a little curious why it was Medusa, of all people, waiting tables now. Never in my life would I have ever thought to see her in a pair of skates, waiting tables, while Free stood on the sidelines making the job difficult for the both of us.

I shrugged it off, and headed home.

"Eater?", I called silently.

Two wolf ears immediately perked up, revealing the body of the Beast hidden in the kitchen. The dog was its usual self, and since I was home for the moment, I decided to do her second favorite thing, homework. The homework lasted for about an hour, and once I'd finished, I rewarded myself with the luxury of a book. I lay on the couch with a pink blanket sprawled carelessly over the cushions, burying my lap as I spoiled myself in this sweet, limited indulgence.

The Beast sat under her feet, eyeing everything in the room. I ignored the dog until he began to tug on the blanket. I looked down at the floor as the white monster continued to fight me.

"What do you want?", I raised an eyebrow, lightly kicking hi away with my feet.

He tugged again.

"Stop it!", I ordered, pulling the blanket back.

He tugged again, this time yanking the blanket from me.

I growled in protest as he dragged the blanket in his mouth, all the way to the bathroom.

"Eater! Get back here!", I demanded, chasing after him.

He moved fast for his size.

I pushed the door open to find the Beast sitting obediently in the middle of the bathroom floor, with my innocent blanket in its mouth.

"Drop it!"

He didn't listen.

"Eater, what is it, what could you possibly want from me this time.", I sighed in disappointment.

He dragged the blanket out of the bathroom, past my feet, and into my room. Once again I huffed and followed him into the room. I swear, this thing is getting on my nerves. I should have kicked him out a long time ago. What was I doing with him again? Right, abuse, hero, good person, whatever.

"Eater. Drop it.", I commanded, snapping a finger at the floor.

He jerked his head, and tossed the blanket on my mattress.

I swear, I should record this dog. If anything I could make a couple hundred off of him. Oh wait, I forgot, crazy doesn't earn money. In fact, after what I just saw, as of now I would be better off locked up in a mental hospital.

The Beast proceeded to ignore me, still jerking his head toward the bed. It took a moment to realize what he was gesturing at. I was a little surprised, but this dog has done crazier things. Though, I wouldn't have considered him crazy enough to expect me to sleep.

"What?", I cocked my head slightly, "You want me to sleep?"

The Beast nodded its head. No, nodded isn't the right word, it bobbed its head up and down, simulating a nod. Whoever professionally trained this dog, should be rewarded greatly. In fact, they should be praised for eternity. This was unbelievable.

"Eater, I can't sleep.", I sighed, waving the thought away.

He proceeded to gesture his head toward the bed.

"I haven't slept in a month, do you really think I'll be able to sleep now?", I growled.

He nodded his head.

"No, Eater. Now let me read.", I grit my teeth as I left the room, leaving a confused wolf behind.

I took my spot on the couch, re-opening my book. The Beast followed me back into the couch, leaving my pink blanket on the bed, I assume. He took his familiar place below my feet, as I leaned my head back against the arm of the chair.

I hadn't realized it, but I had read for four hours. The story I was reading came to a close, and I painted the image of everything that had happened in the earlier chapters perfectly in my head. I loved reading, it was a subtle escape for me. The dog didn't see to mind that I was completely oblivious to everything else in the room, including him, as I rested my feet on the other arm of the couch.

I was surprisingly comfortable, at least, more comfortable than I'd expected to be on an old, rusty couch. The couch wasn't in the best shape, the cushions weren't all that soft, and the couch itself sometimes creaked as I sat up. I couldn't explain it, but something was lulling me to sleep. My hand had fallen on the Beast's coat of fur. My body relaxed, my mind wasn't numb with unanswered questions, and I wasn't aggravated with every little thing.

For the first time in a month, I'd actually fallen asleep on my own.

I woke up in a bit of a daze. The pink blanket that had been carelessly "tossed" on top of my bed was now gingerly placed on my body. That's weird, I didn't know Blair was over. In fact the apartment remained untouched. Normally my insomnia would've been a good enough explanation, and I would've just gotten over it, but if it was truly my insomnia how would I have fallen asleep in the first place? Am I losing my memory as well as my mind?

The Beast was nowhere in sight. I looked around, and stared at the clock for a moment. It was six in the morning. Had I really slept that long? Oh well, l had the day off. I might as well spend it right.

I stood up and stretched, yawning for the first time in a very long time. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like.

"Eater?", I rubbed my eyes, peering into the kitchen. He wasn't there either.

"Eater?", I called again, checking my room.

He wasn't there either, though if I had found him there I would have kicked him out anyways.

"Ugh.", I growled, "Animal!", I kicked the wall.

As I held my foot in pain, I heard a light growl behind the bathroom door.

"Eater?", I sighed, opening the door, "What are you doing in here?"

Why was I expecting an answer?

"Eater, was somebody else in the house last night?"

He moved his head from side to side, as if saying "No". I don't know why I took his word for it.

"Nya~! Maka I'm home!", a cheerful voice called from the doorway.

"Blair?", I called, peaking around the corner.

"Maka? What's wrong?"

"Were you here earlier?"

"No, why Maka? Did something happen? Soulie didn't bite did he!?"

"No, nothing like that-wait did you just say Soulie?", I shot her a strange look.

"Yeah~! That's my name for him, cute isn't it?"

"Blair, this thing is a killing machine, I don't find it cute."

"Even so, he's got such a lovely coat of fur! I especially love his eyes.", she purred.

"That's nice Blair..but because of him, I'm this close to losing my-.."

"Maka?"

My face fell. I could feel my heart shatter in my chest.

"I forgot to pay the rent.", I clenched my shirt.

"Are you sure Maka? You're usually so collected!", she shot me a quick look of worry.

"I'm sure. I'm doomed. Mrs. Anna gave me one last chance to pay the rent and I screwed it up. I'm never going to buy Papa's house, I'm going to end up returning Eater, and god knows I'm going to-", my thoughts ceased as I felt myself slipping, I fell back onto the rough floor.

"Maka!", Blair screamed.

_"Dammit Maka! You don't have time for this! Get up!"_, I growled at myself, standing up to greet a concerned Blair, "I have to go Blair. I'll be back soon!", I shouted, running out the door before she had the time to blink.

I raced down the stairs into the main office of the apartment. Once I was downstairs I was already greeted by a familiar, unfriendly face. She did not look happy to see me.

"Mrs. Anna..I'm so sorry I didn't pay the rent! Please don't kick me out! I have it, I swear!", I bit my lip as I noticed myself practically on my knees, begging forgiveness.

"Maka.", she raised an eyebrow at me as if I'd been completely out of my mind, which I was.

"Please! I'll work extra hard! I'll even pay extra!"

"Maka.."

"I promise! Just one last chance, that's all I ask!", I basically ripped my hair out.

"Maka!", she snapped.

I looked up with abrupt attention.

"I don't know what you're talking about. That nice friend of yours already paid the rent.", she huffed, looked down on me.

"Friend?", my ears perked up.

"Thank you Mrs. Anna! Thank you so much!", I cheered as I darted out, away from the building.

She muttered something under her breath, but I didn't quite catch it, so I ignored it and ran straight up to my apartment, ready to thank Blair with open arms.

"Blair!", I screamed, opening the door.

"Maka?", she looked a bit startled as she sat on the couch, with one hand over her heart.

"Thanks so much for paying the rent for me. I owe you!", I managed my brightest smile.

"Maka, I didn't do it.", she raised an eyebrow at me, just as Mrs. Anna had.

"What?", my face fell.

"I didn't do it, Maka.", she sighed, "I actually don't know who did.", she flashed a quick glance at the Beast, sitting in the middle of the kitchen, then back up at me.

"Well..", I sighed, unable to fit the puzzle pieces, "Alright."

"Oh and Maka, do be sure you put this silly little episode behind you tonight~!", she purred.

I cocked my head a little, as I analyzed the situation..

"Your date!", she exclaimed.

"My..date?", I sighed.

That's right, I had a date tonight, with a man I had no interest in. This should be fun.


	4. The Date and Even More Disasters

**Changing P.O.V.**

**Warning-Sexual content.**

* * *

This morning, Maka Albarn had run into the main office of the small apartment complex managed on her block screaming bloody murder. For what? For an overdue rent that didn't exist. She's always been a strange girl, and a well-known insomniac, but people tended to stay away from that subject. There was allot that nobody knew about her, but nobody could place how she hadn't known her best friend had already paid the rent for her while she'd been sleeping.

"Thank you Mrs. Anna! Thank you so much!", Maka called as she ran out of sight, into the mysterious land known as her apartment.

"Well..", Mrs. Anna hesitated, mind a little jogged from the previous conversation, "If Blair is your nick-name for your Eater friend, go ahead then. Strange girl.", she muttered.

Maka had already been a bit stressed out from the almost-eviction this morning, even if it had just been a false alarm. She didn't know who, or why somebody paid for her, but she was grateful they did. For now, she shrugged it off and stood longingly in the bathroom mirror, absent-mindedly brushing her hair. She didn't notice the Beast standing behind her in the open doorway.

"I swear, once I find out who did that for me I'm going to thank them on the spot for saving my ass.", she muttered to herself.

The wolf cocked its head, and that's when she realized she'd been talking to herself.

"Sorry you had to see that.", she sweat dropped as she turned into the living room, leaving a confused Beast behind.

"I wonder if I should ask Medusa about my paycheck..", she sighed, dropping herself on the couch.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. She raised her eyebrow as she made her way back up, and over to the door.

Another knock.

"Hello?", she asked politely as she opened the door, only to be greeted by an unfamiliar face.

"M-miss Maka?", the boy replied.

She thought he was a boy anyway, he had short, pink hair and a dress, but no distinguishing features to truly prove whether he was a boy or girl. He sounded like a boy, however.

"Who are you?", she opened the door as the boy stood glued to the porch.

"I-I-I,", he trembled, "I am Chrona."

"Chrona..", she murmured, "You're Medusa's son, aren't you?"

He nodded, clutching his right shoulder.

"M-miss Maka? May I please come in?", the boy trembled.

"Absolutely Chrona. Is something wrong?"

"M-M-M-M-M-M-Maka!", he shrieked as he noticed the animal in the corner of the room.

"Chrona! No! It's fine! He's harmless, really!", she insisted.

"A-Are you sure?", he murmured, hiding behind Maka.

"I'm sure, Chrona. He's very friendly once you get to know him. Even if he is obnoxious."

The dog shot what looked like a glare at Maka, she ignored it and returned to Chrona.

"I don't know Maka..you might not like what I have to hear.", he sighed.

"I can handle it Chrona. Is it about Medusa? Did she say something about me?"

"M-Maka..", he stuttered.

"Yes, Chrona?", she smiled politely.

"Medusa wanted to tell you..", Chrona flinched as he lowered himself in the doorway once more.

"Chrona you don't have to hide, really, make yourself at home.", she blinked, placing her hands innocently behind her back.

"M-M-M-M-M-!"

Chrona fell over, tripped by an irritating force, secretly lurking behind him in the doorway.

"Chrona?!", Maka yelped.

"Maka!", an irritating voice announced.

"Oh, Ragnarok what are you doing here.", she grit her teeth slightly as she addressed the twerp.

"Maka! You bitch!", he exclaimed, shaking his fist at her.

"What?! Ragnarok how dare you!", she screamed back at him.

"You threw away Medusa's childhood memories! She told us to tell you that you're fired and she never wants to see you in her diner again! You got that?!", he cackled maniacally, laughing his way out of her house.

"S-she's firing me? That's impossible..Free..No..", she dropped on her knees.

"Maka's fired! Maka's fired! Maka's fired!", Ragnarok chanted, all the way out of the complex.

His words ate at her soul, slowly, but efficiently.

"C-Chrona..?", Maka mumbled.

"I'm sorry Miss Maka..If it makes you feel better, I don't believe it was you.", Chrona stuttered a bit as he spoke, making his way slowly out of the doorway.

"Free..No..I have to pay rent.", Maka dropped the rest of her body on the rough floor.

The Beast noticed, making its way over to her body, nudging her hand.

In a matter of minutes, the floor became a bit more comfortable as Maka fought off the Beasts soothing comfort. Even the Beast itself was a bit surprised as it watched her slowly recede into an unwilling sleep.

Almost four hours later, Blair returned to the quiet apartment, throwing her hands up at the sight of a forlorn Maka.

"Maka!", she exclaimed, kneeling down next to her body.

"Is she alright?", Blair asked the wolf, who had remained perfectly positioned next to her body all day.

"Let's get you some help Maka.", Blair shook her head and bit her lip, lifting Maka up in her arms, which were surprisingly strong for a girl who barely lifted a finger. Or in her case, claws.

"I need..to work..", Maka murmured, reaching out for an invisible reward, far off in the distant realms of her mind.

"Maka, I'm going to get you help alright?", Blair purred, taking her innocent Maka to the hospital.

At the hospital, Maka began to struggle, toss, and turn in her unconscious daze, continuing to reach for the imaginary ray of light.

"Maka! Stay still!", Blair shouted as Maka continued to play restless, making it nearly impossible for the doctors to plant the necessary IV in her arm. Maka began screaming at the top of her lungs, obviously terrified of whatever had been going on in her polluted imagination.

It took three doctors and one nurse, but Maka was finally out like a light and nobody's harmed. After Maka had received the necessary nutrients, Blair had offered to take Maka home right away. They simply nodded their heads, without even batting an eyelash as they allowed the strange cat-like woman to take the girl she referred to as her "kitten" home. Perhaps Maka wasn't the only mental patient they'd had in their hospital today?

"Soulie~! We're home~!", Blair cheered, walking through the doorway with an unconscious Maka in her arms.

The wolf appeared on high alert, instantly bounding toward the woman, as Blair sat the girl on the couch. Eater crouched in a defensive stance as he investigated Maka's body.

"Relax.", Blair whispered softly, "They had to sedate her. She'll be alright in about an hour, and when she wakes up she'll be completely refreshed! Perfect for her date!", she cheered, throwing her hands up in a cat-like stance.

The wolf calmed itself a little, releasing its intimidating stance and taking its seat below the couch.

A few times, Maka stirred in her sleep, flinching or twitching a bit until the tremors passed, leaving her motionless once more. It was a little un-comforting to watch, especially since Blair still had no idea what had happened to her. It was difficult to believe something so simple as work could set her off like this. Then again, Maka was an insomniac. She had barely caught a wink of sleep in a month, and then one night she finally gains a few hours of sleep, only to wake up to an unsettling turn of events.

"Soulie you're so tense!~", Blair pouted a bit, lowering a hand down to the dogs ears.

The wolf snarled silently as she approached.

"You used to be so carefree. What happened?", she sighed, "Oh right.", she chuckled, taking another look at the wolf.

As the Beast opened its mouth, Maka had raised her upper body, rubbing her eyes.

Blair nearly jumped as the girl stumbled out of bed, hitting the miniature coffee table.

"Maka, are you alright?", asked Blair, no longer interested in the wolf.

"I'm fine Blair.", she sighed, "I just need to take my mind off of..-"

"Of course, Maka!", Blair interrupted.

"I wonder what I'm going to tell Hiro.", she sighed.

"You mean you're cancelling on him?"

"Well..yeah. I think so."

"Nonsense! The great Maka Albarn isn't weak! I think you'll be all better, just in time for your date!"

Maka shrunk back into the couch, knowing very well she wouldn't win an argument like this with Blair. Maka didn't like protesting against what Blair thought was a very kind gesture, and either way Blair usually won anyway.

The rest of that afternoon was hell. It consisted entirely of Blair taking a brush to Maka, trying what seemed like a billion different styles, until she settled on leaving them in her dignified, signature pig-tails.

"Perfect!", Blair cheered.

"Do I really have to do this..", Maka grumbled.

"You look great, Maka! He'll be all over you!", she insisted, referring to the short outfit Blair had picked out for her.

Maka glared at the Beast, who shot back what looked like a laugh.

"That's what I'm worried about.", Maka huffed as Blair finalized the finishing touches on her semi-too revealing outfit.

Blair ignored the comment, throwing her hands up in a cat-like stance, "Have fun Maka! We won't wait up.", she purred.

Maka rolled her eyes, stepping out of the comforts of her apartment. She remembered vaguely, but she was sure she'd promised to meet him at..Joe's cafe? Yes. That sounded right.

She threw her head back in defeat, realizing her aimless efforts of being able to stay in tonight, were faltered by a woman who clearly thought she was nothing less than that of a cat.

Maka shrugged off her discontent, determined to make Hiro feel at least a little comfortable around her tonight. She was typically anti-social, but she didn't need rumors going around that she flat-out hated all people, no matter what. She usually did, but not as bluntly as they would most definitely make it sound if word were to get around that she'd either stood him up, or was fairly rude. However, he was a man, and just because she'd try her best, doesn't mean she'd completely forget her resentment.

As Maka walked in she was immediately greeted by a familiar smirk and a warm "Hello".

"Hello Hiro.", she replied, taking a look at the blonde positioning himself against the wall.

A white jacket had been carelessly thrown over his shoulder, revealing his plain white T-shirt followed by purple plaid pants and white belt. She noticed his many piercings, along with the dog collar, in which's leather reminded her of the Beasts. It was a bit silly that he reminded her of her "wolf", but she shrugged it off anyway.

To say the least, he almost looked decent.

"How are you today Maka?", he smirked again, throwing his head back.

Something about his smirk rubbed her the wrong way. It was a sense of accomplishment, as if he'd expected her to show up. She just wanted to hit him, just once.

However, she shrugged off the violent tendency once again, replying only with a meek smile and a clear, "Great.", she lied.

"That's good. Care to take a seat?", he gestured toward a booth, seated for two.

"Sure.", she sighed silently, taking the seat.

"I'm sorry I haven't had the nerves to speak with you Maka, otherwise I would have introduced myself formally, instead of using some silly love letter.", he chuckled, "I suppose now is as good as a time as any?", he held out a hand.

"I'm Hiro, the pleasure is mine.", he smiled as she hesitantly lifted her hand off of the table.

"Maka Albarn.", she stated awkwardly, taking his hand.

Hiro wasn't as terrible as she thought he would be, but needless to say she still wasn't happy. That natural smirk he'd give off at any random moment, it bothered her a little too much for comfort. She didn't have anything against him personally, besides the fact he was a man. Men were all the same, at least that's what she thought, and Hiro definitely wasn't going to be able to change her opinion any time soon.

The night wasn't so terrible either, he'd thrown in a couple bad jokes, she laughed to humor him, yet at the same time some of his jokes were just a bit funny, she had to admit. The cafe was nice, and afterward he'd taken her on a walk around a few blocks before stopping at a local park. The park had been nice as well, except for the fact she'd caught him making a bit of an odd face at her, when he'd apparently thought she wasn't looking. It wasn't that of ridicule, or disapproval, in fact it seemed as if he had been fairly amused with something. She couldn't quite place it, but he had a lazy gleam in his eyes. It was uncomfortable to be around, in her opinion.

"Well it's getting late Hiro.", she finally spoke as she'd shifted her body away from his once more on the small bench he'd insisted on sharing.

"You're right Maka.", he said in a displeased tone as he stood up, holding out a hand.

"Do you have the exact time?", she pleaded with her eyes, knowing very well the sun had gone down ages ago.

"Exactly midnight."

"Midnight? Wow, we were out that long?", she gasped.

"It was only four hours.", he chuckled, "You don't have somebody you need to get home to, do you?", he raised an eyebrow.

She shook the image of the damned needy wolf out of her head, "Nope.", she smiled innocently.

"Good, I'll walk you home then.", he smiled as well, holding out a hand.

"It's fine really, I know my way home."

"I insist. It wouldn't be right to just let a lovely young woman, such as yourself, walk home alone after a date.", he chuckled before pausing as he raised yet another eyebrow, "You are a woman, aren't you?"

Maka raised an eyebrow as well, unsure of what he meant, "What do you mean?"

"Oh nothing.", he chuckled, "I just thought.."

"What is it?", she asked, a bit concerned at the fact she clearly looked as if she had no idea what he'd meant, which she didn't.

"It's silly. Perhaps I'll tell you later?", he smirked again, causing Maka's blood to slightly boil again.

"Right.", she gave off a nonchalant smile, fighting the urge to kick him.

The walk home was silent, she noticed. That annoying smirk never fell from his face as he gingerly guided her hand closer to his. She didn't protest out loud, though in her head she'd had much to say. She slightly pulled away for the fifth time tonight. Her silent protest fell on deaf ears as he pulled her hand closer once more. This time he gripped her hand tightly, as they reached the apartment. It didn't hurt, and she didn't want to end on a sour note, so she shrugged it off at last giving into his needy grip.

As they reached the apartment door, Maka shuffled for her keys lingering in her small purse that Blair had insisted she'd borrow, to "compliment" the outfit. Though Maka had no idea what that meant either, she agreed at last and kicked herself later for allowing the crazy cat woman to win yet another argument.

The minute she reached the door, she felt something was a bit wrong. The wolf was nowhere in sight, and neither was Blair. Perhaps Blair had taken him for a walk? Either that or he was tucked somewhere into the depths of her room. It didn't matter to her either way, at this point if he were to have accidentally gotten "lost" she wouldn't have cared. The fact she'd lost her job and chipped one hundred dollars into saving the needy thing hadn't helped his case at all.

She realized what was wrong, as she turned around to shut the door and had been greeted by the annoying smirk on the familiar face. His face was inches away from hers, leaning against the door. She stepped back a little as he gingerly shut the door.

"Sorry Maka, I thought I might come in for a little while? It does get chilly outside.", he pouted a bit.

Maka raised a questioning eyebrow, shrugging it off as she let him in for a moment.

Awkward silence fell on them both.

"Well Hiro, it's been nice but I think I'd like to sleep.", like to, not going to.

"Oh, Maka, that reminds me..", he smirked once more.

She turned away from him, releasing a slightly silent sigh.

Maka cringed as he placed two hands on her shoulders, "Hiro?"

"When I asked you if you were a woman earlier, you wouldn't think it rude of me to find out, would you?"

That was it.

"_Yes_. I would.", she growled.

"One night with me is all I ask, then I'll leave you and your woman-hood alone for good, clear?"

She would've killed him if it wasn't illegal, or immoral. Though her morals perished a bit the minute he touched her.

"Hiro, I think you should go.", she flinched as he guided his hands down her shoulders, over to her arms.

"Are you sure Maka?", he whispered seductively in her ear.

"I'm sure, Hiro.", she growled once more.

Her bravery had shrunken back into a tiny abyss, as he slowly proceeded to remove the small jacket, covering her top, chest, and arms. She shivered under his touch, paralyzed with fear as he once again invaded her personal space. She felt him behind her, pressing his body against her own, lowering his lips down the length of her neck. She couldn't open her mouth to protest, all she could do was stand there shaking.

"Hiro..Stop. Please.", she managed under her faltered breath.

"Please Maka. I need this.", he whispered in her ear once again, taking in her scent.

He lowered his hands down to her waists as her grip on the hand bag had deteriorated, the bag landing on the rough ground with a thud. A few tears swelled in her eyes, betraying her as they rolled down her cheek.

This was it, she had nothing left to do, and nothing left to stand for. After he finished with her, he might as well throw her away. She was bound to do it anyway. She was bound to end up just like her Papa..

Her thoughts were interrupted as a loud growl piercing her ears. Hiro maybe?

No, this wasn't that of a human growl, though she did hear some noise accumulating from Hiro. He shrieked in fear at the sight of the vicious wolf glaring at him from the corner of the hallway. The wolf showed no sign of fear or mercy as its row of sharp, intimidating teeth accompanied the growl. He had what she currently lacked, bravery. In a second, he lunged. It all happened so fast, one minute she had been taken by Hiro's possessive grip, the next thing she knew was Hiro bounding out of her apartment, down the street screaming. The door slammed shut behind him.

Maka fell, quickly reaching toward the couch for comfort. She felt so ill, and so..violated. It was sickening, and even more sickening was the thought of what Hiro might tell people. She knew he'd been a loud mouth, and she knew to keep him happy she'd have to act polite on their little "date". If she'd have known this would happen, which apart of her insisted that it would, she would have ripped the letter up and kicked Blair out of her house at the mention of the event.

She gave into her bitter defeat, sinking onto the couch. Blair had been home earlier, she could tell by the pink blanket strewn over the couch and the white pillow sitting on the left arm. She sat on the blanket, clutching the pillow tightly as she allowed the tears to stream endlessly down her face. In a way, she'd never felt worse than this. She didn't care about what happened around her now, she wouldn't have cared if the world had ended, she didn't even care that the wolf had taken its place on the couch with her.

The animal remained silent as it watched her suffer for what seemed like hours. In fact, it was only a minute before the wolf had leaned in, nudging her shoulder. She pulled her shoulder away, gripping the pillow tightly. The wolf proceeded to nudge her again, urging her to face him. She refused, pulling away once more. The process repeated a few more times before the wolf collected himself, and gave her a big lick across the side of her face.

The crying ceased for a moment, though she wasn't sure why. She still refused to face the dog however, as she silently allowed her crying to silence. The streams had lessened, forming into that of minor tear droplets. However, she was still crying, and the wolf was persistent. A few times he nudged and licked her again, until she surprised him by breaking into that of a low giggle. The wolf applauded himself, she imagined, as she caught a glance of his seemingly satisfied face. Maka continued to clutch her pillow, laughing a bit as the wolf had taken one of her pigtails into its mouth. He chewed teasingly, letting off playful growls as he lightly tugged her head backwards a few times. She couldn't help but laugh, the fact a cold-blooded killer such as a wolf had tried to comfort her was too much to bear. In fact, the wolf appeared better company than Hiro, she had to give him that.

The tugging ceased as Maka noticed a pink gleam at the corner of her eye. It resembled light, though it was sudden and faded quickly. She looked behind her in a pit of shock and wonder, until she was face to face with something she'd wished she hadn't seen.

At that moment, she let out a scream nearly as loud as Hiro's, as she faced the smirking teenage boy, who held a pigtail in his mouth.

* * *

**CLIFF HANGER.**

**Yay.**

**I'll be updating tomorrow.**


	5. Soul Eater

Maka couldn't help but stare. For the moment, she didn't care if it was rude, she had to stare. For one, this was absolutely insane. She couldn't blame it on her insomnia either, because she'd gotten a well deserved rest earlier, even if it had been involuntary There were no drugs placed in the coffee served at the café as far as she knew, and she doubted very well that Joe Buttataki was the kind of person to drug his consumers. She had no idea what was wrong, or what she was doing, but she did know that she'd be lucky if there was no noise complaint stamped to her doorway the next morning. She had screamed possibly louder than Hiro.

"Who are you!", she demanded, proceeding as far away as she could with the amount of space the couch had given her, which wasn't much, he was still within arms length.

"_Mmma._.", he mumbled with his pigtail still in his mouth.

She glared at him, "Let go!"

"**Maka!**", he boomed as he at last released the pigtail.

"Who are you!", she receded into the farthest corner of the couch.

"The Beast.", he chuckled.

"The Beast is a wolf! You're..you're a..", she stuttered.

"Human?"

"No! I don't know what you are!"

"I'm a human, who needs your help, if you'd just let me explain-"

_MAKA CHOP!_

She almost felt bad for him, she'd packed a lot of un-relinquished hate in that book. A part of her wondered if he was still alive.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!", he exploded, nursing his wounded skull.

"That was a Maka-Chop.", she stated matter-of-factually.

"That hurt!", he growled.

"It's supposed to. You scared me.", she huffed.

A part of her wondered why she hadn't gone on mental lock down yet, the other part of her asked what she was waiting for. She was against herself on this one, so she decided to just stop caring for the moment.

"If you would just let me explain dammit. I wouldn't scare you!", he growled through grit teeth.

"Go ahead then.", she growled back, "Explain."

"Alright..", he glared at her, "Drop the book."

She huffed, irritated by every living thing as she impatiently threw the book down and folded her arms.

"Who are you.", she sighed.

"Soul Eater."

"I wasn't asking for your name. Why are you a human?!"

"I'm not a wolf?", he stated sarcastically.

"You're a beast.", she growled through grit teeth.

"A beast that saved your ass.", he muttered.

She had to give him that, "Alright, true.", she sighed in defeat.

Silence passed as the boy on the couch had stared off into space, as if in deep thought. She took this as an opportunity to take a look at his appearance In a way, he did look like the wolf. He had the same snow-white hair spiked up on his head, and the same bored look on his face that he always seemed to wear, even as a wolf. He even had a pair of blood-red, crimson eyes to match. She was a bit surprised, however, when she noticed his teeth had been a rough, jagged shape. That was something that hadn't changed about him. There was no collar around his neck, however she noticed a pair of black jeans hugging his waist, with a round, golden dog tag chained to one of the pockets. On it were the words "Soul Eater".

There was no doubt about it, whoever this kid was, he was most definitely, or he had been, the Beast.

"You've heard of the man Eibon, right?", he asked, breaking the silence.

She nodded, raising an eyebrow.

Eibon had been notorious, he was well-known for conducting research in magic tools. However, that was beyond centuries ago. What did he have to do with this?

"This is one of his magic tools.", he sighed, pointing down at the golden dog tag on his jeans.

"Magic tool? That's impossible, they were all destroyed a long time ago."

"The big ones.", he corrected, "The ones most likely to harm humanity. However, I guess nobody thought much of a magic dog collar, and somebody thought it would be a good idea to leave this one alone.", he growled a bit, referring to no one in particular.

"That doesn't explain what you're doing with it.", she huffed.

"I was getting to that.", he snapped lightly.

She folded her arms as he gave her a seemingly apologetic smile.

"I found myself caught in a sort of cross-fire.", he stated plainly as his smirk had fallen into a light frown, "The consequences of me being the son of a man who didn't know when to shut his mouth..", he coughed as he realized he'd begun to ramble, "Well, some bad people found out the old bat had a son, and what better way to get back at him other than turning his youngest into an animal, right?", he sighed and eyed Maka carefully.

"So he hit you with the collar or something?", she raised an eyebrow, clutching the pillow again.

"I was riding my motorcycle around the block. It was late at night, not my best call, and I turned into a dark ally when I heard somebody calling my name. I wanted to leave, but the minute I tried a few guys grabbed me and before I knew it, somebody slipped the collar around my neck.", he grimaced, as if reliving the memory.

"So whoever wears the collar's turned into a wolf?", she asked, suddenly interested.

"Not quite.", he smirked, "It attaches itself to your soul wave links, and it takes the form of whatever animal your soul fits most. Mine just happens to resemble a wolf. I'd say that's pretty cool, if I wasn't stuck like this."

"What makes being a wolf so cool? The fact they're so scary? The fact they're killers?", she rolled her eyes as he began to trail off.

"No.", he smirked, "It's not that, it's what they symbolize that I really like. In fact, that's what made me pull through the agonizing month I lived with that prick you saved me from."

"What do they symbolize?"

"Leadership, control, faithfulness and loyalty. I pride myself in most of them."

She flinched a bit at the thought of a man thinking himself "faithful" and "loyal". The fact Hiro had just violated her wasn't working in his favor, yet at the same time the fact he'd saved her's working wonders. To say the least, it stopped her from throwing him out.

"Anyway.", he coughed, interrupting her thoughts, "They turned me into this animal and they sold me to some prick who thought I'd guard his house. I thought I'd never get out of there until you found me, Maka.", he smirked.

"How do you know my name?", she growled.

"Oh I don't know, I've only heard Blair and that disturbed Chrona kid throw it around about, a thousand times? Maybe more?"

"Right..", she rubbed the back of her neck, knowing very well that was a dumb question.

"Then why are you shirtless?", she giggled a bit as she pointed to his uncovered torso.

"I'd like to know that too.", he laughed a bit, running a hand through his hair.

He really did look like a wolf. Though she wasn't sure if the white hair was natural, his blood-red eyes hadn't changed a bit except for the wolf like qualities they used to have. If you'd taken a good look at him, you wouldn't have guessed once that he'd been a human under a spell. However, she did have her doubts once he began to display his human abilities as well in his wolf form.

"How did you change back?", she asked, settling herself comfortably on the couch.

"I grasped one of your soul wave links."

"I've meant to ask, what's a soul wave link?", she sighed.

"Everybody has a soul, and with every soul comes a soul wave link. They're like signals. They trigger reactions from whoever's soul you're in direct contact with. Depending on the person, the affect could be good, or it could be bad. I don't exactly know how,", he sighed, "but I managed to grasp one of your wave links. Since your soul is pretty strong, I can use your wave links to transform back into a human. At least that's what I understood, I still have no idea how to get this damned collar off.", he growled a bit.

"Have you tried taking it off?", she asked blankly.

"Well, not in my human form.", he replied dumbly.

"Why?"

"This is the first time I've been able to stay in my human form in about two months.", he sighed once more.

"I'm sorry to hear that.", she sighed as well.

He looked a bit surprised as she'd said that. He hadn't expected her to feel sorry for him, let alone care. In fact, a part of him felt she'd be throwing him out of her house by now. Though, he didn't have his doubts just yet, there was still time.

"I have an idea.", Maka's face lit up, breaking his concentration.

"Which would be?"

"Take off your pants."

He smirked.

_MAKA CHOP!_

"_DAMMIT!_", he shouted, rubbing his skull.

"You know what I mean.", she growled.

"Fine, do you have something I can change into?", he threw his head back in aggravation.

She tapped her chin lightly as she thought for a moment. There was no money in the budget left to run to the store and pick up a pair of pants for him, and she sure as hell wouldn't let him walk around naked.

"Well, let's look at it this way, if you're a human now, what makes you think you'll change back?"

"My soul is aching."

She shot him a look of confusion.

He groaned in irritation, "My soul is aching, meaning I'm bound to change back any time soon. In order to stay human, I need to keep a good grip on your soul wave link. I'm not exactly sure how I did it the first time, but now I think I understand."

"Wait, first time? You've done this before?", she raised an eyebrow, cutting him off.

He smirked a bit as he let out a low chuckle, "Who do you think paid your rent, sleeping beauty?"

She fought back a Maka Chop, instead gripping his shoulders.

He flinched as he awaited the hit, and opened his eyes slightly as it didn't come. Maka had gripped him by both of his shoulders, pulling him into a quick, tight hug.

"What was that for?", he raised a curious eyebrow.

"Thank you.", she giggled, "I've said it before, the minute I found out who did that for me, I was going to thank them on the spot. I keep my promises.", she smirked.

"Albarn you are one weird chick."

"I know, now what next?"

"What next?"

"How do we change you back?"

"You mean you're not getting rid of me?"

"Nope. That would just be a hundred dollars wasted, wouldn't it?"

"I guess."

"I do have a few more questions though."

"Which would be?"

"Well, they're not heavy questions."

"Alright..", he sighed lightly, facing her as he braced himself.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Are you in high-school?"

"Well, I would be, if I was human."

"Right. Sorry."

"It's fine."

"Do you know anyone who might be able to help you?"

"Yeah, but I'm not exactly sure where they are. If they were here they could probably get you out of your mess too."

"My mess?"

"Your little money issue."

"I don't have a money issue.", she snarled.

"Right, because getting on your knees, pleading to a woman you can't stand isn't considered an issue."

_Maka Chop!_

"You didn't..", he caught his breath, "Have to hit me again."

"Where are they?"

"The other side of Death City.", he sighed.

"Do you know where to find them?"

"My guess is the academy."

"The academy, that weird magic school?"

"It's not a magic school. It's more like a..", he paused, "a type of military school. Except, everybody there attends on their own will. They're training in case worse comes to worst, and a few of Eibon's old "associates" try to rebuild his magic tools, we're ready for them."

"That's what they're training for? I knew they weren't a typical school but I didn't know any of that."

"You're not supposed to. They try to keep it a secret, but I think since you've let me live under your roof as a household pet for the past month, I can let it slide."

"Well, let's not waste time then."

"What are you talking about Albarn?", he smirked.

"Let's get you back into your human form, permanently. We just need to figure out how to keep you in your human form long enough to get us there."

"Easy, but you won't like this answer.", the smirk on his face stretched into a little grin.

"What?"

"In order for me to keep a firm grasp on at least one of your wave links for a constant amount of time, I need to keep in physical contact with you, which means, on our trip you'll have to endure holding my hand, or touching my skin, or touching me in any way possible, to keep me from transforming in the middle of a crowded area, and possibly risk getting yourself caught in a bad place for having a magic wolf in your possession."

"You're lucky I'm against animal abuse, or you'd be dead by now.", she growled through grit teeth.

"Then explain the book lodged into my skull!"

"Good point.", she giggled.

Her giggle broke out into a bright laugh, and the boy couldn't help but laughing along with her.

"Alright, one last question."

"Which would be?"

"What's your real name?"

He cocked his head a little in confusion.

"I mean, what do you want me to call you. Is Soul Eater your real name?", she corrected herself.

"Yeah. Just call me Soul."

She held out a hand.

He looked at her again and raised an eyebrow.

"Nice to meet you Soul.", she smiled brightly, taking his hand.

He'd been caught dumbfounded. There was no logical explanation about why this girl wasn't freaking out, or why sudden trauma hadn't set in. Maybe her soul was just too strong? She couldn't be..

"We'll get going first thing in the morning.", she yawned, half surprised at herself.

"Right. One problem."

"Huh?"

"How do I keep a grip on your wave link, while you're sleeping? It shouldn't be hard if you're sleeping but how do I physically make sure I'm..", he trailed off, grinning even wider.

She twitched a little, "Where the hell is my book."

He threw his hands up in defeat.

"Just sleep in my bed then.", she growled, "I'll lock the door, and in the morning, nobody will have to know what happened, nobody will even know you were here."

"Except when Blair comes in to check on her little "Kitten" and figures out she left on a mission given to her by her helpless human wolf boy."

He had a point.

"I'll tell her..that..", she tapped her chin in deep thought.

"Actually you don't need to lie to her. She knows I'm human.", he huffed.

"What? She knew and she didn't freak out, or tell me?!"

"Relax Maka. She's not human either."

"How is that supposed to make me relax!"

"Good point.", he smirked, "Well, Blair is actually a cat. She isn't affected by any magic tool, she just has the soul of a cat embedded within her. I don't know how, I don't know why, I was just as surprised as you are."

"Well.. I guess it isn't that much of a stretch from having a human boy as a pet."

"Hey, I am not a pet. I am a tenant who happens to live in your house.", he growled.

"Whatever you say.", she giggled.

The giggling stopped as he gripped her hand, "Let's get to bed then, princess."

_MAKA CHOP!_

"Alright..", he sighed in a groggy voice, "I deserved that. Can we please sleep now."

"Fine.", she huffed, "Wait, how do we know I'll even be able to sleep?"

"That's the beauty of joined wave links. Mine tends to calm yours, and if I tried hard enough I could easily put you into a peaceful rest, no questions asked. It's very rare though, and it doesn't work with all souls."

She nodded, as if she'd completely understood. It was absolutely crazy, though it did make a bit of sense in her mind.

"Alright. Let's go then. I'm tired.", the silence broke with a loud yawn.

She realized she'd been holding his hand for a while now, and she guessed that's why her eyes were suddenly heavy.

"I think it's working.", she yawned silently.

"Yeah. Looks that way.", he replied quietly, rubbing his eyes.

"Hey Soul?"

"What?"

"Thanks for earlier.", she yawned one last time, before her words broke off into a low whisper.

She surrendered her body to the comforting couch.

"_No problem Maka._", he mumbled as the world grew dark, his vision fading.

He leaned back on the couch, giving into the weight that fell to his feet, as the last thing he saw that night was the sleeping face of the girl who'd given up so much to take care of him. He didn't want to push it any further than that, but he could feel her wave link lulling him to sleep, so for good measure he decided to pull her up to his chest.

_"In case it doesn't work I guess she'll have a soft coat of fur to sleep on."_, he thought bitterly, slowing his breathing as he monitored the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

Not a moment sooner, they were both fast asleep.


	6. Sunday and Other Stupid Things

As morning approached, Maka felt her eyes shift open with surprise as she looked around the room. She'd fallen asleep on the couch. She's surprised for two reasons.

First, she'd actually fallen asleep, and had been apparently so sleepy she was unable to make it to her room.

Second, she'd fallen asleep on the Beast. He'd remained in his human form, assuring her that last nights events had actually happened and hadn't been a result of her insomnia spinning out of control.

"Soul?", she yawned as she sat up on the couch and stretched.

"Ouch.", he muttered.

She looked down and realized she was sitting on his legs, and had accidentally slightly crushed a very important part of him.

"Sorry.", she sweat dropped as she hopped off of the couch.

He didn't respond, he simply grunted and turned over as he resumed his nap.

"Soul, wake up. We have to leave soon.", she sighed.

"Ngh..Five more minutes."

"It's time to wake up!", she lightly kicked the couch as he stirred in his sleep.

"Maka..", he muttered as the couch muffled his pouting.

She huffed, shaking his arms and shoulders. As she took another look at his muscular chest and torso, she reminded herself that if she would have to suck it up, dip into her funds, and buy the brat a shirt.

"Soul.", she grumbled.

"Are you already missing our physical resonance, Maka?"

Maka Chop!

"Alright..", he grumbled as well, "I'm up.", he surrendered as he found himself sprawled out on the couch.

"We need to get going.", she replied through grit teeth.

"Do you even have a way of getting there or do you just plan on walking?", he rubbed his head as he sat himself upright on the couch.

"Well, no..", she rubbed the back of her head shamefully."

"Then I guess we're making a pit stop."

"What are you talking about, we don't have the money to do anything. I'm jobless, I don't have my paycheck, and you're a dog."

"Correction, I'm a human trapped inside of the body of a wolf. Besides, I still have my connections Maka. I just need to get to the nearest bank."

"It's Sunday."

"Dammit!"

"Any other ideas?"

"Pack for the trip. We leave tomorrow, looks like you're skipping school Maka."

"I can't just skip!"

"Why the hell not! Would you rather go back and listen to whatever lies Hiro's spread by now?"

"You have a point.", she muttered, "But what do we tell Blair?"

"This is where we use Blair to our advantage."

"What?", she cocked her head slightly.

"Blair refers to you as your kitten, and she has that nurturing mother trait deep inside of her soul that's just waiting to erupt."

"Go on.", she leaned in, suddenly interested.

"If we tell Blair about how Hiro had been such a terrible date that you decided to "skip town" for a while to collect yourself, she'll take the defensive and destroy Hiro's reputation. That's enough of a distraction to keep Blair busy, and keep others out of your business."

"That..Is brilliant.", she sighed.

"I know.", he smirked.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Start packing.", he sighed.

"Right.", she sighed once more, turning away.

Not a second later she felt a grip on her wrist.

"Soul?"

"Physical reso.."

"Oh, right."

"You're acting weird Maka."

"I know, something just feels..wrong."

"What is it?"

She shrugged, exchanging the grip on her wrist for his hand, pulling tightly.

"That hurts.", he muttered.

"I know.", she giggled as she led him into her bedroom.

Soul sat on the floor silently with his hand draped lifelessly in Maka's, at some points slipping so he barely touched her fingertips. She ignored his presence and proceeded to throw very few clothing in her book bag. She decided on her typical uniform she loved to wear, accompanied by her famous black button up trench coat. Her hair had been fully pulled into pig-tails, which forced Soul to keep up a lifeless grip on her back as she used both hands to pull her hair in place.

"Let go of me.", she commanded as she stood up, nearing the doorway.

"Why?"

"I'm going to take a shower."

"I don't want to turn back into a wolf. Can't you skip a day?"

"That's disgusting!"

"If I'm a wolf I might as well lick you clean."

_MAKA CHOP!_

"Enjoy your bath.", he choked out as she stepped over his sprawled out body.

His grip had been released, however he hadn't changed back. He found it a bit odd but he managed to keep a very faint grip on one of her wave links for a short time. She took a ten minute shower, stepped out and wrapped herself gingerly in a towel, proceeding back into her bedroom once more.

Sure enough, instead of the albino teenage boy, sitting on her bed was a white wolf. She frowned a bit as she sat on the opposite side of her. A part of her had hoped the boy would still be there. He was much easier to talk to, when he wasn't a wolf.

"I guess you weren't lying about the wave link thing.", she sighed.

The wolf nodded, placing his head on her bare lap.

She cringed a bit, "What do you think you're doing?"

Her question's answered, as another flash of pink light had surrounded the dog. Not a moment sooner, she was looking down at the face of the albino teenage boy whom was laying on her lap.

"You bought new body wash didn't you?", he smirked.

_Maka Chop!_

"I surrender Maka.", he stated in a groggy voice, allowing his body to fall victim to the discomfort of the hardwood floor.

"Now that we know how you change back, get out so I can change."

"Whatever.", he mumbled as he picked himself up, hobbling into the living-room.

She changed into her skirt and sweater vest, covering the rest of her body in the trench coat. Satisfied with her outfit and pigtails, she finished gathering a few books in her bag and threw them over her shoulder. She'd use this time to explain to her only boss, Joe, why she'd be leaving for a few days. He was a trustworthy guy, and to be safe, she'd use the sob story Soul had given her. It was a clever plan, she had to admit. Nobody in this city took a real interest in her personal life, besides Blair, who apparently thought she was her own personal kitten. Though Maka didn't like being babied one bit, she'd have to let it slide.

"We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning.", she stated as she walked out of the room, greeted by the white wolf.

The wolf nodded.

"I need to take care of a few things first. Stay here and if anything happens, do what magic wolves do to stay alive.", she deadpanned the last sentence, obviously forgetting how the wolf had managed to stay alive all this time.

In return, the wolf nodded again, taking its place on the couch. It had a smug look on its face, and she knew why. He was no longer considered an "_animal_", therefore he could get away with being in her room, on the couch, and whatever else he felt like doing. She sighed in defeat as she made her way to the doorway.

Once outside, she gazed across the street. The first thing she noticed was the diner, and the evil face that peered back at her. It was Medusa, she had glared at Maka as she'd been outside, gathering a few things from her car. Though Medusa didn't say anything, Maka knew well what she had to say, and none of it was pretty. She'd rather be greeted by Medusa than Ragnarok however, who still managed to be the most irritating brat on the planet. He would simply rub her unemployment in her face, cherishing his latest victory, making her feel lower than garbage.

"Now's not the time Maka..", she muttered to herself as she found herself halfway to the miniature formal dress store.

"Maka! A little early aren't we?", Joe chuckled as she entered the store, sounding off a few of the chiming bells that guarded the doorway.

"Sorry Joe. I just need to tell you..", she hesitated, putting on her best 'please forgive me' face.

"What is it Maka?", he looked down at her with sympathetic eyes.

"It's sorta hard to talk about,", she partially lied, "I'll be leaving town tomorrow. I don't know how long I'll be gone, I'm sorry. Something came up..", by the end of her bitter fib, she found a few tears trickling down the side of her face.

It wasn't that the event had been hard to talk about, she knew it was a lie and she knew very well where she was really going. However, the thought of Ragnarok gloating at her sadness, Chrona being one of the kindest, tortured souls she'd ever met, and Medusa hating her for something she didn't want to do. That was enough to launch a few unmerciful tears down her face.

"Say no more Maka. You want a vacation? It's yours! Take your time, you're a hard worker. One of the best.", Joe glued his fists to his hips before letting out a low chuckle.

"Thank you . I won't let you down.", she gave him a heartfelt handshake before heading back down the street.

Passing the diner, she quickly rubbed the tears out of her eyes. If Ragnarok or Free had been there, she definitely wasn't going to allow insult-to-injury by letting them catch a glimpse of her pained face. She didn't mean to stir up so many bad thoughts, she only wanted to make it look believable, which she had. So believable even she found herself buying into the lie. It wasn't a lie, so much as a bit of an exaggeration, and she hadn't exactly told him about the date, or the job loss, or anything vital. A part of her was still amazed at the fact he'd let it go so easily.

She shrugged the many thoughts off as she opened the apartment door. The wolf lay sprawled out lazily on the couch. She couldn't help but growl as she kicked the animal-boy-person-man-magic-thing off the couch.

He whimpered a bit, before gently biting her hand. She cringed a little at the thought of the sharp teeth digging into her skin. Her thoughts receded as she looked down at the teenage boy who held her hand in his mouth.

"How did it go.", he mumbled with her hand in his mouth.

"Let go.", she ordered, twitching her fingers.

"I'm not turning back into a wolf.", he mumbled once more.

Surprisingly, his teeth didn't hurt that badly.

"I don't want my hand in your mouth.", she glared.

"Alright then, what do you want in my mouth?", he smirked.

Maka Chop!

"It's too early for this.", she grumbled, releasing her weapon as she gripped one of his shoulders.

"I agree.", he muttered, pulling himself back on his feet.

It was nearing ten in the morning. Maka woke, surprised that she'd managed to get any sleep at all, yet here she was with full eight hours of rest. Could his wave link really be that calming? Half of their conversations so far had consisted of his snarky attitude, perverted comments, and a fully loaded Maka-chop! None of this made sense. Then again, not much started to make sense after the wolf had become a human.

Maka was about to open her mouth, to argue, to protest, to insult, to say every single thing on her mind. For some reason, she was swelling with anger. She hadn't realized such a small comment could set her off.

Her protest remained trapped inside her mouth, as a knock on the door kept her from shouting.

"Blair.", she thought, "What was I going to tell her again?"

"Get behind the door.", she ordered, grabbing his wrist.

He nodded and stood behind the door as she gently opened it.

It wasn't Blair.

Whoever these girls were, weren't happy to see her.

"Albarn.", one sneered.

"Who are you?", she raised a questioning eyebrow.

They each wore school uniforms. Three girls stood on her doorstep, one lingered in the back, arms folded, glaring at her. Another one stood next to the one in the back, folding her arms just the same, shooting the same vicious glare. The one in the front, she stood with her fists on her hips, glaring straight at Maka.

"Amber, Scarlet, and Willow.", they each sneered, saying their names in specific order. The one in the back was Amber, next to her was Scarlet, Willow in the front.

"What are you doing here? Is something wrong?", she asked innocently.

She felt Soul struggling in the doorway and soon found herself sealing his mouth shut with her hand. He silently protested. She knew what he was going to so, he was going to try to lick her hand, to get her off. Luckily, before he had, one of the girls interrupted their secret squabble, and if he had, he was one dead wolf-boy.

"We know about your little "date" with Hiro.", sneered Amber.

"We want it to stop.", growled Scarlet.

"Now. Or else. Don't mess with us, Albarn.", threatened Willow.

"I don't understand. I'm not dating Hiro.", she sighed, she wished she never had, anyway.

"Hiro is too good for you Albarn, why did he waste his time on a little book worm like you? We're warning you, if you don't back down, you'll regret the day you were born.", Willow took control now, silencing the girls behind her with one hand.

"_A little too late for that._", Maka muttered.

"What was that? Speak up! Face me when you're talking to me!"

"As if she even deserved your words!"

"Yeah, she doesn't deserve it."

"Hiro is amazing, he's the hottest guy in school and it's going to take more than one little stupid bookworm to take him away from us."

Maka bit back her fury. In the process she managed a death grip on the boy behind the door. He could almost feel her nails digging into his veins as he began to struggle once more.

She took a quick look behind the door and gave him an apologetic frown. She'd almost forgotten he was there, though at a time like this maybe it would have been best if he'd been a dog. It wouldn't help her if the girls who thought she had gone too far with Hiro, found another shirtless boy in her apartment.

"Look at me!", snapped Willow.

"I don't like Hiro. I don't want to date him, I want nothing to do with that selfish bastard. Got it? I don't give a damn about Hiro. Date him, blow him, marry him! I don't care!", she shouted, clenching one fist.

The girls in the back looked at her in shock. Willow stood there with a dropped jaw, face burning red with fury.

"You were lucky you could even get a date with Hiro! You stupid bookworm, as if anybody would ever be interested in you! We know exactly what happened on that date. We know how Hiro is, and he wouldn't change for some weirdo like you. He probably pitied you, that's the only reason he went out with you. You're a stupid nerd, you're probably going to die alone anyway!"

Maka had no idea how, but she restrained from punching each one of their stupid faces. Maybe it was because while holding the door open, she was holding a human wolf on the other side. Perhaps his wave link had calmed her? Whatever it was doing, it was working. She remained unfazed by their constant pestering, though she hated these girls to the very depths of their souls now.

He didn't know how, why, or when, but somewhere in-between Maka's death grip on his wrist and the snobby teenagers remark, he'd felt himself seething with anger. It took all of his will to stay silently behind the door. If he were to expose himself and let go of her, he risked turning into a wolf, and the girls surely wouldn't keep their mouths shut. What were he to do if..

"I wouldn't say that, if I were you.", he smirked, stepping out from behind the door.

Even Maka looked shock as their faces had frozen with surprise and confusion.

"_What are you doing?_", she mouthed.

"_Trust me._", he mouthed back.

Honestly, did she have a choice?

"Is it really you?", one of the girls managed.

"Oh my god."

"That's really him!"

"What's he doing with Maka?"

"What are they talking about?", thought Maka.

"It's Soul Eater Evans!"

She noticed Soul flinch a bit at her statement. She knew his name was Soul Eater, she knew he had a few connections as a human, but really? Fan-girls? Another thing she hadn't noted, Evans? Where did that come from?

"Yeah, uhm, it's me.", he managed, "I hope you girls don't have a problem with my Maka, do you?", he wrapped one arm around Maka affectionately.

She fought back the urge to kick him and smiled up at him. If this was what he had in mind, she might as well go along with it. She wasn't going to be in Death City for long, definitely not after this little episode.

"Of course not!"

"We love Maka!"

"We just wanted to tell her what great taste in men she had."

"Alright, well me and Maka have a few things to take care of. If you don't mind..", he smirked, gingerly closing the door.

"Of course not!"

"Have fun with her!"

"See you in school Maka!"

Once the door shut, and the girls faint fan-girl screaming had faded away, Maka had to take care of one last thing.

"Soul..I..I.."

"You don't have to thank me, Mak-"

_MAKA-CHOP!_

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!"

"FOR BEING AN IDIOT!"

"HOW AM I BEING AN IDIOT!"

"WHAT IF THEY TELL HIRO. WHAT IF THEY-"

"THEY'RE NOT GOING TO. IF THEY DO, WHO CARES? WE'RE LEAVING TOMORROW!"

"I care!", she lowered her voice, "You're not the one that has to come back here and face them, Soul. I do. I'll be held responsible for every single thing that goes on here!"

"You..-"

"What?"

"You're not staying with me?"

"Staying with you? Why would I?"

"Well, since this place is some kind of living hell, I figured you'd want to leave."

".. I don't think I'd fit in with you and your "friends".

"Because you fit in here so well?"

"..."

"..."

"Where would I stay, anyway, I can't just abandon school and work, Soul!"

"I know! If you'd come with me, you wouldn't have to work two jobs, you wouldn't have to go to a school and take crap from those idiots, and you'd never have to see that "Hiro" kid again!"

"Why do you care! It's not your life!"

"Why shouldn't I care Maka?! What's wrong with that?!"

"Everything!"

"Like?"

"You're..you're.."

"What? A monster, a freak, a wolf?!"

"A man! You're a man!"

"What does that have to do with anything!"

"Everything!"

"Explain!"

"Just forget it!", she demanded, clenching her fists, "You're just like Papa!"

"How can you compare me to some guy I've never even met, Maka! If you would tell me what I'm doing wrong!-"

"You're just like him! You don't care about anyone but yourself, all you want is one thing and you don't care about me! You're going to end up leaving, just like him!"

"..."

"Say something!", she felt a few tears streaming down her face.

That's been happening allot lately, and she can't exactly figure out why. Everything's fallen apart around her, and suddenly somebody offers her a way out, a way to a better life. This has to be some cruel hoax, another empty promise.

"_Maka.._", he sighed.

"_Shut up Soul._", she choked out as a river of tears fell from her face.

He obeyed, instead, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her into his chest. She protested and lightly hit him a few times until she surrendered, wrapping limp arms around his back. He pulled her into a tight hug, concentrating, focusing every single wave link he had into hers. It seemed like it was working, as the fighting ceased, the tears had dried, and she'd fallen asleep.

He scooped her up in his arms, and lied down on the couch before letting her rest on top of his chest, once again. Her wave link had the same soothing effect as he felt his eyelids begin to weigh him down. He didn't want to sleep yet. He wasn't really tired, he was hungry, if anything. It had been a while since he'd eaten a decent human meal. Dog food was alright too, but you'd have to hold a gun to his head before he ever admitted he'd eaten it.

If he was lucky, if he really hurried, he could sneak out and rush over to the city storage. He knew his brother hadn't given up on finding him, he knew he'd saved his bike. If luck was truly on his side, he'd make it to the storage and back with his bike, in one piece, still in human form, ready to go. He had no idea why his brother had hidden a storage for him on the other side of Death City. Then again, the storage he was referring to was a little in the center..would he be able to make it back in time? Of course not, and besides, he was shirtless. How was he even going to pay the fee to get into the storage?

He shrugged it off. He could sit here all day coming up with excuses, coming up with back ups and ideas, and jump up and run idiotically to the bank, storage, and clothing store, but he didn't. For now, his main priority was the girl crushing his leg. If it wasn't for Maka, he'd still be in the clutches of that stupid man who bought the wolf in the first place. She'd given up so much for him, and here she was, suffering to the very depths of her soul. What had she done that was so wrong? He didn't know, and he had the feeling, she didn't either. No, she probably didn't know, and nobody could really tell her. All he knew, was at that moment, one thing was certain.

There was nothing he could do about her apartment, except offer her a place to stay. He had no idea how his friends would react to her, though most of them were very nice. He didn't know what to tell her about her lost job, or the little issue she was having with money, because he seriously doubted she'd accept anything from him. However, there was one thing he could give her that would maybe, just maybe, make up for the pain. It was a long shot, but at this point he was willing to try anything. Was it his own free will talking, or was it her wave link at work? He didn't know, but he did know one little crucial detail.

He owed her his life.


	7. Clothes

Maka woke up from her long, well deserved nap, only to find herself confined in a very tight grip. She couldn't move a single muscle.

"Soul.", she mumbled into his chest.

His arms had somehow caught her in her sleep, pulling her into a very tight-unwanted hug. In other words, she couldn't move, and it was the wolf-beast-boy's fault.

"Soul.", she grumbled, squirming around in his grip.

She really wished his shirt was on.

"Soul! Wake up!", she kicked even more and found her body scooting a little closer to the edge of the couch.

Soon, the arms tightened their grips and pulled her directly on top of him. She would have screamed if one hand hadn't clasped perfectly over her mouth. Her screams muffled and her limbs immobilized, she gave up trying to get anything done with this sleeping idiot. There was one thing she hadn't counted on, however.

His wave-link was twice as soothing while he was sleeping.

"Soul..", she yawned as his grip on her mouth had loosened, "Let go, I'm going to..going to..sleep."

His eyes remained shut and his grip remained firmed. Terrible combination, terrible outcome. She'd fallen asleep in that position, with the exception of his arms. His arms had released and draped themselves over the small of her back. Her chest had fallen and landed flatly on top of his, and there was nothing she could do about it. Her hair had barely nudged the bottom of his chin.

Something told her they wouldn't be leaving soon.

* * *

"Maka!~", a cheerful voice called.

"Maka!..Maka?...Oh my! I didn't mean to interrupt!~", sang a hopeful Blair.

"Wha..?", Maka yawned in a slight daze, before leaning up in her seat.

She nearly screamed as she looked down on the sleeping face and bare chest.

"No! Blair! This isn't what it looks like!", she panicked.

Suddenly, a pair of hands gently laced themselves around her back.

"Soul?"

"_Ngh.._"

"Soul! Let go! Blair's here!", she chided through grit teeth, noticing the day-dreaming Blair who stood smugly in the doorway.

She didn't like the smirk she found on Soul's face.

"Soul..", she whispered.

"Morning baby. Round two?"

She was afraid of that.

_MAKA-CHOP!_

"Maka! That's no way to treat your boy toys!~", interrupted Blair, who seemed not-at-all concerned with his injuries.

"He is not my boy toy. He's not even a boy!"

"I resent that."

"Quiet you.", she whispered roughly, lightly kicking his fallen corpse.

"I'm not even sure what he is, Blair. Another thing, why didn't you tell me! It would have been nice to know that this..this..thing was in my house!"

"Oh Maka, I thought you would've figured it out already.", she sighed.

"Figured what out?"

"Well, he clearly wasn't any average dog."

Maka glared at the human boy below her feet, "Understatement."

"Exactly. He's much more than that!"

"He's more of a dog in his human form.", she growled, lightly kicking him.

"Oh, I'm sorry.", he smirked as he stood up, "Would you like me to act like a dog, Maka?"

"What are you planning Bea-!"

She froze in place as the boy licked her all the way across her cheek. She would've killed him then and there if Blair hadn't been in the room.

"Soul! I'll kill you!", she shrieked.

"I'm sorry master, I'm only following orders. You wanted a dog, right?"

"You're not a dog!"

"I'm not a human, either!"

"You're not a human with that stupid collar on.", she growled, "That doesn't mean you never were one!"

"What about Blair, she's a cat. I don't see you yelling at the damn feline."

"Blair never licked me!"

"I did it once!"

"Twice.", she corrected.

"Whatever.", he huffed, "Are you ready or not, pig-tails. Let's get going already."

"Why should I help you, anyway! Why can't Blair help you?!"

"Oh, so now you don't want to help me?!"

"Souliee, Makaaa, I really think your fighting is pointless!~"

"Not now!", they screamed in unison.

"Why would I want to help you?! You've been nothing but trouble since day one!"

"Why wouldn't you want to help? You owe me!"

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too"

"Pum-pum.."

"DO NOT!"

"..Pumpkin.."

"DO TOO!"

"HALLOWEEN CANNON!"

BOOM!

"WHAT THE HELL BLAIR!", they screamed in unison once again.

"You two wouldn't stop fighting. It made me very sad!~"

Maka stood dumbfounded, staring at the hole in the wall, peering into her room.

"Y-You destroyed my apartment."

"It wasn't that much to look at anyway."

"Bite me, wolf b-OW!"

"Happy?", he smirked, wiping his mouth.

"You bit me!"

"You told me to."

"_Makaaaa..._"

"Don't you d-"

"_CHOP!_"

"DAMNIT!"

"PUM-PUM-PUMPKIN!"

"NO!", they screamed once more.

"Oh you two need to lighten up. Arguing over something so trivial."

"He started it.", she growled, pointing at the shirtless wolf-boy.

"Oh you two.", she purred lovingly, until the kindness faded leaving behind a dark scowl on her sweet face, "I'll finish it if you both don't shut the hell up."

Of course, they were immediately silenced and Blair was left purring to herself with each of her "kittens" on either side of her.

"Blair, I almost forgot.", Maka sighed, "I need you to run to the store for me."

"Why is that, Maka?"

"Soul needs clothes. I'm not taking him anywhere with him shirtless like that."

"Don't pretend you don't enjoy the show, pig-tails."

_MAKA-CHOP!_

"Of course, Maka. Don't worry,", she purred as she stepped out the door, "I'll pick something sexy. I wouldn't want to ruin your little show."

"Huh!?"

"I knew it! You do like seeing me this way!"

"I thought I took you down."

"Sorry to disappoint you, your highness but you might need a bigger book."

"Dammit.", she mumbled.

Silence ensued as she sat on the couch, which was only barely singed due to Blair's little "pumpkin cannon".

"I've meant to ask you, Soul."

"Eh?"

"What did Blair do, just now."

"What do you mean, she called you out on digging my abs if that's wh-"

"No! Before that!"

"Yelled at us."

"Before that."

"Swam in her mother's ovar-"

"Too far back!", she sighed in a disgusted tone.

"The pumpkin cannon?"

"Yeah."

"It's a spell. She wasn't kidding when she said she'd a decent amount of magic."

"Do you think it would hurt if you were hit with one of those?"

"Definitely. Wouldn't be enough to kill you though. Not a mortal, anyway."

"Mortal?"

"Never-mind. Story for some other time."

"..."

"..."

"So what kind of clothes do you think Blair's really buying for you?"

"Not sure. Better be something cool, though. I'm not walking around in something ridiculous. Sorry your little show has to come to an end, though."

"Makaaa..."

"Don't!", he threw his hands up in defeat.

She huffed. Her arm was getting a little tired from the constant chopping, and she wasn't sure if it was very good for his brain cells. She wasn't going to ride around town with a hollow-minded thing on her arm, so she let it go.

"You're off the hook.", she growled, "Just this once."

He smirked and sunk further into the couch. Maka did her best to lean as far away from him as possible.

It's come to her attention that as long as he's close enough to get a grip on her "wave-link", it doesn't matter if they're making physical contact. He'd be able to stay in his human form, as long as she was simply around. However, she was debating whether in public she'd avoid any kind of contact out of spite, or stay as close as possible to avoid future conflict. She really wasn't looking forward to getting herself thrown in jail because of this..mutt.

"..Soul?"

"Eh?"

"What time is it?"

"Midnight."

"What?! I thought it was morning!"

"You decided to take a long nap after your little melt down."

"..."

"..."

"..Thanks by the way."

"For what?"

"You could've stayed quiet and ignored the fight, but you tried to help me. I'm sorry for..yelling at you.", she sighed.

"No problem."

There was a comfortable silence settling in, right before the front door swung open, revealing Blair holding multiple grocery bags.

"That was fast. Welcome home Blair.", greeted Maka.

"Thanks Maka!~ Soulie, take these clothes and change. Make sure they're nice and loose, though. We wouldn't want to end Maka's show completely.", she winked at both Soul and Maka, receiving a roll of the eyes and a mere shrug as he hesitantly took the bag, heading into her room.

"H-Hey wait! Don't change in my room!", she shouted.

"I'm sorry Maka, would you prefer I change out here?"

"N-No! There's a hole in the wall, what if we..see you?!", she choked.

"Your little peep show features an encore, but fine. I'll change in the bathroom, princess."

He smirked and shut the door, ignoring her scowl.

Minutes later, they heard a slight growl coming from the bathroom and the furious swing of the door averted their attention to a well pissed off Soul.

"I am NOT wearing this.", he snarled, looking down at his clothes.

Definitely a mistake letting Blair do the shopping, Maka realized, as he walked out in a pair of blue jeans hung loosely around his hips, only held up by a single black, unfastened belt which all led up to a half-undone button up collared shirt. It was visibly see-through, she noted, as his muscles were plainly on display.

Maka fought back a laugh, and Blair threw her hands up in pure amusement, "Soul!~ You look so cute!~"

"I am not walking around town like this. I look like-!"

"A person?", interrupted Maka.

"No.", he snapped, "Like..Like.."

"Sexy?", sang Blair.

"N-No! I mean yes. B-But no!"

"Like a man-whore?", sighed Maka.

"I-I don't know! Did you buy anything else, Blair.", he growled.

"Sorry Soul, that was the last they had in your size. I bought a few clothes for Maka though.", she purred.

Maka didn't like the sound of that.

"Come on Maka~!", sang Blair as she grabbed the poor girls wrist, leading her into the bathroom with her bag of clothes.

He couldn't hear word for word what was going on in there, but he knew Maka was putting up a good fight. At some point Blair had removed her pig-tails, and put her in something Maka deemed "too revealing".

Something skimpy on Maka. This he had to see.

As the door swung open, Blair was the first one out as she purred eagerly, grabbing Maka's wrist.

"Take a look Soul!", she sang as she dragged Maka out of the bathroom.

She wasn't lying when she said it was a bit too revealing. The outfit Blair had stuffed her in consisted of a blue, plaid mini-skirt which basically show-cased the long creamy skin of her legs and thighs. She wore a silky white button-up collared shirt that cut off below the belly-button, showing even more skin. The shirt was long-sleeved, luckily, and an apparent trench-coat like style to it as a small cape of white flew around her shoulders and stomach. Her hair hung loosely down her shoulders, hiding the skin of her neck that suddenly seemed so..dare he say it..tempting.

_"Tempting."_, he scoffed in his head, _"Maka? No."_

"B-Blair I already have clothes!", she complained as Blair pushed her into the living room.

"But you don't have clothes like these. Besides, Soul gave you a pretty good show, from what I heard. You could always return the favor, Maka.", she purred.

This is how the cat got her way. Both sat on the couch, displeased and embarrassed with their current..revealing states and wished for nothing more but a bucket of water. Maybe just to give Blair a small taste of karma.

"You should really get some sleep, Maka.", purred Blair, who was now fumbling around in the kitchen, "You need your rest."

"Blair, I can't sleep.", she growled, "I am not letting him sleep with me again."

"Again? Are you trying to say something, Maka?", she cooed.

She realized what she said and blushed ferociously, "No! I mean, he only did it so I would sleep! I don't want to sleep anymore."

Something she never thought she would say in her entire life.

"Come on Maka.", chuckled Soul, "You need your rest. I'm not dragging you around when you're half-asleep. You need to be on full alert during this "trip"."

"Not you too Soul.", she sighed, "Forget it. I'm not going to sleep."

"Stubborn, stubborn Maka.", he clicked his tongue, "You're going to sleep, even if I have to wear you out myself."

She took that as a threat, "What are you saying, _animal._"

"..."

"...Don't even-_Soul!_"

She's interrupted by the weight of her "animal" confining her to his grip, once more. After kicking and screaming for a while, she realized what a horrible mistake she'd made by sitting at arm's length with the thing, and mentally kicked herself. As much as she wanted to fight, whatever his soul wave link was doing, worked because she soon found it harder to stay awake.

* * *

For some reason, she was tired, but she couldn't asleep. She lay awake for about twenty minutes until Blair left her alone. That was when she realized this time, the tables had turned. Soul was sound asleep, hugging her tightly, without even realizing it. She wanted to wake him up, tell him to let her go, but he looked so..

Peaceful.

The stupid dog had a cute face, she realized. It was stupid but she remained silent.

"_Ngh.._", he mumbled.

"Soul?"

"_Ngh..Maka.._"

"Soul? What's wrong?", she asked as his grip tightened around her.

"G-Get a-away fromher.", he slurred as he mindlessly kicked his legs.

"Soul, wake up, I think you're having a nightmare."

"_S-Someone.._"

"Soul.."

"_H-Help-!_"

He awoke to a frightened Maka, clutching his chest tightly.

"Soul are you alright?", she mumbled into his chest.

At this point, she couldn't let go if she wanted to.

"I'm fine. Just a little..nightmare.", he sighed, reluctantly wrapping an arm around her.

"Go back to sleep, Soul.", she sighed as well.

"Y-Yeah. Okay.", he lay back down, and to his surprise, she followed.

That night, she realized two things:

1) Whatever he dreamed about, wasn't pleasant.

2) His chest made a great pillow.

* * *

**Sorry if it wasn't that great. I was in a rush to get this out, I also had the flu when I wrote this and it did a really good job of fogging up my little mind.**


	8. Perverts, Soul, and Everything Inbetween

**Warning: Sexual Situations Below. [No lemon, just situation.] Rated M for a reason.**

* * *

The only bright side about Blair's little shopping spree:

She didn't have to travel around town with a half-naked wolf-boy-thing.

Of course, walking around in a skimpy outfit, forced to hold hands with an apparently well-known teenage boy in equally skimpy clothes, isn't much better. At least, not in her opinion. She received strange looks, evil glares (mainly from fan-girls), and whistles from hormonal idiots.

"That's the third one today.", she huffed, "I'm never asking Blair to shop for me again."

"They're still staring.", he chuckled.

"How are you not freaking out? Fan-girls are practically drooling over you!"

"As long as they don't touch me, it's cool."

"Great."

They crossed the street and turned the corner, passing a line of clothing stores and thrift shops.

"Damn idiots..", he growled as they made their way across the street.

"What's wrong?"

"Is everyone in this town a pervert?"

"What are you talking about?", she sighed, "Your fan-girls are still back-"

"Not talking about my fan-girls, I'm talking about your little friends over there."

"Who?", she glanced around the street, finding no one in particular.

"I look human but i'm still part wolf. That means I have a better sense of hearing than you do. I can hear their little conversation, they're about a block over. The only reason I can hear it so well is because they're laughing up a storm."

"What are they saying?"

"You don't want to know."

"Why? Is it bad?"

"It doesn't matter.", he glared down the block and gripped her hand, "Let's go."

She nodded as they turned yet another corner.

"Where are we going anyway?", she finally asked.

"..I thought you knew."

"What!? Soul!"

"I'm kidding, relax. We're going to a storage unit. My brother locked my bike up when he found out I went missing. I'm not sure if my parents think I'm missing or if they think I'm dead. My old man probably knows something but I doubt even in a case like this he'd actually tell them anything."

"Why? What makes you say that?"

"Our family is normal and loving, in the lime light. In the dark they're just cold, snobby people with no real set of morals."

"..I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry, Maka? It isn't your fault. It's my Fathers fault, I bet he never even tried looking for me."

"Well, maybe after this he'll realize he was wrong. Maybe he was going crazy trying to find you."

"Maka, I'm the "Evans Boy". It would have been all over the news, or in the least there would have been flyers. Maybe some kind of city-wide alert, but no. Nobody even knew I was gone. I know that because the abusive bag of nothing I was forced to live with watched the news every night. He'd go on these lame rants about anything and everything. It wasn't cool, but in sticking around I noticed there were never any reports on me, at all. Nothing."

"..D-Did he know you were uhm..Not a wolf?"

"He had some idea, but he never dug around in that department. I had a few human traits, which he completely ignored but there were a few times where he'd threaten me as if he was talking to an actual human, so I'm not sure. He could have known, but if he did he never showed it."

"I wouldn't put it above that man to keep you, knowing very well you're a human.", she sighed, "A human..With a life..I treated you like a..dog.", she whispered the last part, he barely caught it.

"Hey, don't get too down on yourself. There was a lot going on, the last thing you needed was a wolf living in your house, screwing everything up. Besides, you did it all out of kindness. If it wasn't for you, I'd probably..", he hesitated.

In reality, he would've ended up buried in the backyard. Just like any other house-hold pet, but he decided he wouldn't tell her that.

"I'd probably be starving now. At least with you, I'm fed every day and you don't throw me out. It's luxury."

She turned away for a moment, her breathing slowed just a little. He assumed she was relieved, but she still looked a little pained.

"Well,", he broke the silence, "We're here.".

Maka gasped, "We're here already? B-But I thought this place was all the way across town!"

"It is. You must have spaced out or something."

"I'm not even tired though.."

He slightly smirked, "Yeah that happens with people like you."

"People like me?"

"Not important. Stay here.", he let go of her hand and walked into small building lurking just outside of the gate, blocking off the storage units.

She waited for a moment and noted the tingling feeling in her chest. It wasn't a metaphor, her chest was literally..tingling. Something stirring deep inside of her.

"Is this what a soul wave link is?", she thought, "I really hope he doesn't lose it and change back.."

She closed her eyes, and pictured the familiar face. She imagined every detail, from the blood-red eyes down to the pointed teeth. Then, she pictured his soul. She wasn't sure what it would look like, so she made something up. In her mind, his soul resembled a little blue orb with a twisted tip, and rough edges. However, the core was something sweet and golden. Finally, she imagined herself. She pictured herself clutching the little orb, wrapping her arms around the tiny thing as it squirmed and twitched, until it calmed enough to relax in her palm.

At last he walked out with a key.

With a very tired face, she noted.

"Maka what are you doing?", he stifled a yawn.

"N-Nothing.", she squirmed a bit.

She closed her eyes for a moment, imagining herself loosening her grip, carrying the little orb in her hand.

His body responded, immediately recollecting its former composure.

"Whatever.", he sighed, "Let's get going."

She followed him inside. Different rows of storage sheds lined each side of the black concrete. The units were sit into rows, evenly aligned with one another. A few formed straight lines until they reached the end of the pavement, where they turned. Just around the corner would be an equally set line of units, which turned another corner, and the pattern repeated.

He stopped her outside of a very large storage unit. This unit wasn't like the rest. It was huge, and consisted of hallways and doors on the inside, instead of the out. She marveled at how large it was. Perfect for a motorcycle, at least.

"Wait here. I'll bring it around.", he stopped her at the front of the door.

She nodded and stood on the outside, as she watched him disappear into the hallways.

It was quiet, and in her opinion, a little unnerving. She didn't care about the fact he let her wait outside, she'd rather stay in  
the fresh air and not the bitter, musky scent of dust collecting, gathered on top of a loud, obnoxious motorcycle. She couldn't image what it'd be like to ride that thing. The only bright side was the fact that considering she'd be on his back, there was no need to hold hands. There would also be a lesser risk of losing control of his wave-link. She noticed it back in the lot, she finally understood how he'd done it.

"Hey there."

She looked up.

Breaking the silence was a boy about her age, perhaps a little older. She recognized him. They'd passed him on the street a few times before coming here. He wasn't alone, either. His friends had followed as well.

They were men. Boys, actually, but close enough. She hated them already.

No matter how handsome or good-looking they may be. These guys had pretty faces and were fairly well-dressed, but she couldn't care less about either. There were three of them. It seemed there were always three when a group of friends approached her, ill intentions or not. Mostly ill, so far. Actually, none of them had regarded some sort of welcome wagon. Nobody approached her unless they wanted something.

"Hello..Do I know you?", she spoke in a shy manner, hoping to ward them away.

"No, but I think you'd like to.", joked a boy in the back of the group, who in turn received a fist-bump from his friend.

_"That wasn't funny.."_, thought Maka.

"Can I help you?", she sighed.

"We noticed you didn't have your boyfriend with you. He left or what?"

"What? He's not my boyfriend."

"So you're off the market then?", asked another in the back.

"Well uh, I don't..", she trailed off.

"What? You don't date? That's weird. What are you easy or something?"

"Easy? How dare you!", she growled, "I'm not easy! I just don't date, okay?!"

"Feisty.", cackled the same boy in the back.

She took a deep breath, "Did you need something?"

"We need what everybody needs."

"Yeah, or at least what men need."

"You'll help us out with that, right? You seem like a nice girl."

"I hope she's friendly."

"I hope she'd very friendly."

The boys broke out into laughter.

She sighed, typical men.

"If you don't need anything I think I'll just go catch up with my friend.", she muttered through grit teeth.

"Hey!", called the first boy, gripping her wrist, "We're sorry. We didn't mean that. We were just kidding around, ya'know?

She huffed, "I didn't know, actually."

"Well you know now, and that's what counts isn't it?"

"Yo, Jack, let's go.", said the boy in the back.

"Yeah man, we're hungry. Let's go get pizza or something.", said the one next to him.

"You go ahead, I'll catch up with you soon.", he chuckled in reply.

They exchanged looks, "Whatever. Catch you later."

He waved them off and for a moment, the world was silent.

She sighed, wondering when Soul would come back. He's been in there for a while now..Then again, it's the Evans storage shed. She wouldn't be surprised if it's locked up in ten different layers of chains, guarded by vicious dogs, and possibly, a fire-breathing dragon.

"You know, I never caught your name."

She turned her attention toward Jack, who was in front of her once again.

"I...Uh..Maka.", she sighed.

"You know Maka, my friends aren't around now, and neither are yours."

"What?"

"We're alone now."

"I..I guess so.", she cocked her head in confusion.

What did being alone have to do with anything? Scratch that, she didn't want to know.

"I get the feeling your friend wont be out for a while?"

"I don't know. He's taking a while.."

"I'm fine with that if you are.", he chuckled.

She tried to laugh with him, feeling quite uncomfortable.

"Oh, that reminds me. I have this very heavy box in my storage I need to move. I can't quite pick it up on my own, would you be willing to help me out? We'll come right back."

She hesitated, "I..Well..Maybe. I don't.."

"Great! Follow me, it's right around the corner."

He lied about it being "right around the corner". In fact, it was around two corners and across an equally empty row of units.

"Good. Now you can help me.", he stated in a low voice, slightly startling her.

"Right. Where's the box?"

"Well you see, there really..I may have lied a bit. I just wanted to be alone with you, just for a little while."

Inside her head, she was snarling. In her mind, she was ripping him apart. All she wanted to do was wait for Soul outside of his stupid storage unit so they could get out of here.

"We were already alone."

"Your friend was inside of the storage, wasn't he?"

She nodded.

"He's not inside of this storage. Therefore, we're safe to do what we like, now. Aren't we?"

"What we like? What do you mean?"

"Look at yourself.", he pointed to her outfit, "Do you think an innocent girl would wear an outfit like this, and not know what she wants?", he stated in a sly voice.

She didn't know when he'd gotten so close, or when she'd backed herself into the wall, but she didn't like it and she wished none of it had happened in the first place. She cursed his name, she cursed her own name, she cursed the wall, she cursed Blair for buying her stupid little skimpy outfit.

She sighed in realization. No matter what Blair did, it wasn't particularly her fault. She only wanted Maka to make friends. Not the kind of friends she had in mind, but anything was better than nothing in her eyes.

It's too bad Maka felt completely differently on the subject.

"Now, my friends are gone and yours is busy. Let's cut to the chase, shall we?", he whispered in her ear as he gripped the bottom of her skirt.

"W-What are you doing?! No! Stop it! Get away!", she squirmed, smoothing her skirt and kicking him in the process.

He wiped his face, a look as if staring at some type of meal.

"Feisty. Perfect.", he purred.

This time, he pinned her up against the wall, holding her wrists firmly in place above her head, with one hand. Meanwhile the other hand roamed around her body. She was about to scream, only to be muffled by his lips. They crushed her own, allowing no breath to pass.

Seconds felt like hours. He continued to roam up and down her body, staring half liddedly into her eyes. A few tears trickled down his own, of course, going un-noticed and ignored. At last, he reached for his item of choice. He wormed his fingers up her skirt, into her lower regions where he gingerly rubbed her thighs. Soon, this wasn't enough. He moved the hand over her mouth, where he finally released her and planted an unwanted kiss on her jaw-line. She tried to squirm, her efforts wasted. This time his mouth found a place on her neck, where he roughly nipped and sucked on the skin.

She closed her eyes, tears hitting concrete, hoping if she couldn't see him, maybe he'd go away. She braced herself, ready for the worst.

"I'LL FUCKING DESTROY YOU!", boomed a fairly loud voice, followed by the roar of an engine.

The next thing she knew, the boy was on the ground and she was free.

"Soul!", she shouted.

He'd thrown himself off the bike, tackling the offender.

She sat on the ground in slight fear, amusement, and partially paralyzed.

He threw another punch at the boy already on the ground, kicking his body. The boy hadn't given up, however. Jack, the idiot, threw a punch back at Soul. He easily dodged and kicked the idiot in his face. This time, Jack sat up punched Soul in the jaw. Soul wiped his face, un-fazed and unharmed, before throwing yet another punch, hitting him in the mouth. The tip of his mouth was bleeding, she noticed as the boy fell on the ground, due to Souls vicious attack. He kicked him once again, finally gripping the collar of his shirt and pulling him up to meet his eye.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't fucking kill you right now.", he glared into the eyes of the trembling criminal.

"I-I-I'll never do it again. I swear. I had no idea she was yours!", he lied.

"Mine or not, if you touch her ever again I swear I'll chop your fucking dick off."

His voice was low and dangerous. She'd never heard him like this. He's never been this..angry.

"You have my word, dude! Never again, I promise!", he squeaked.

"Good. Get the fuck out of here."

He jumped up, away from his grip and sprinted away, fearing his dear life.

"S-Soul..", whimpered Maka.

Her tears hadn't dried. She hadn't expected them to.

Two warm arms wrapped around her small frame, as much as they could with her still being against the wall. He pulled her close and said nothing, hands massaging her back. She breathed in his scent, replacing memories of the boys dirty scent with Souls, who now smelled faintly of motor oil.

"It's alright Maka. You're alright now.", he whispered.

"T-Thank you Soul.", she gripped his back tightly.

"It's nothing, Maka. I'm tempted to track down that piece of shit and beat him to a pulp."

"Y-You already have. H-He's not worth i-it."

"He hurt you Maka. I should fucking kill him."

"No Soul.", she choked, "Stay here. Stay with me, please.", she cried into his chest.

As much as he hated it, she was right. He stayed in place. As much as he would love to beat the living hell out of that hormonal idiot, he stayed and cradled Maka. She was what mattered the most. For now, nothing else mattered. Nothing else was important.

She took comfort in his presence, burying herself in his chest, thanking god he was still there. He was there, he was alive, he was breathing, he was healthy. She took pure comfort in that thought alone. That was all she needed for the moment. Safe from harm, and for once, she hadn't wished the Beast would drop dead. He'd saved her life far too many times now.

She had no idea when it happened. When his soul attached to hers, when the warmth swarmed her chest, when she depended on the Beast so much. When she finally looked at the Beast as a person. She couldn't help but look back on the month. The entire month she'd had him, he kept her from getting kicked out, saved her from Hiro, and now this. All she'd done was buy him off of some confused man, and treat him like an animal, barely paying any attention to his presence.  
She didn't know what she could do to make it up to him, however. She had nothing of value, and no way of repaying him that could peak his interest. She owed him too much. It was a debt far too great to simply be repaid with mere objects. She didn't know what exactly she was to do after this.

All she knew, was at this moment, she owed him her life.


	9. Complications

It was a long ride.

Maka had stopped crying a while ago, but her eyes still painfully watery.

He'd comforted her to his best extent, putting it off as natural dog instict-to protect their owners.

"Where are we going?", she asked, gripping his waist tightly as they rounded a sharp turn.

They'd been traveling across town all day, on his precious orange and black trimmed motorcycle. It wasn't half bad, she didn't have a real problem with riding it, other than the fact he didn't have a helmet.

She couldn't stop him if she tried. He'd given her the only helmet, while only using a pair of goggles for himself.

"The bank is open, right?"

She nodded, "It's Monday."

"Good. I need to withdraw a little money..If Wes came through, he should've kept the account open. There's a possibility.."

"Possibility of what?"

"When I open that account I'll either be loaded, or broke."

She remained silent as the motorcycle slowed, and he pulled into the lot of the nearest exchange bank.

"Come inside."

She nodded.

He hadn't left her side since the incident. He'd shot warning glares at every possible threat to walk by, or eye her for more than three seconds.

She made a mental note to thank him later. For everything.

The lady at the counter greeted him with a forced smile.

He didn't have to be a mind reader to know what she was thinking. He already knew, she was afraid. Though he'd done his best to hide his teeth, his red eyes and white hair stuck out like a sore thumb, and punished him greatly.

"Can I open the Evan's family account? There should be one under my name, try Soul Eater."

"...You're with the Evan's?"

He nodded.

"...Alright. Give me a moment.", she meekly smiled, jamming data into her computer.

"..I'm sorry sir. We can't find any records with your name on them. Are you sure you're affiliated with the Evan's family?"

He groaned, "Try Soul Evan's."

She nodded, performing the same task.

"There you are.", she quietly stated, "How much would you like to withdraw?"

"All of it."

"All of it?"

He nodded.

"Will that be cash or check?"

"Cash."

She nodded, "You'll be given a total amount of fifty dollars."

"Great.", he sighed.

Maka stood quietly behind him as he recieved the large stack of money.

Amazing. The minute he'd informed the woman of his surname..She'd jumped to his every will. Even beyond the fact it was her job, she seemed..Happy, serving him. Eager, almost.

Though, she wasn't oblivious to the end of the hospitality, as she announced the total. Her face fell, she realized. As if her own services had been wasted.

"...Do you know if any money was withdrawn in the past few months?"

She searched the data in her computer and hummed, "Mmm...Mhm. It appears William Evan's had withdrawn an enormous sum of money from the account. About Fifteen hundred."

"...Thanks.", he bitterly sighed, turning away.

"Let's go Maka."

She nodded, following him out.

What a shame. She was well aware he warned her this might happen. Though she can't imagine how he felt, knowing his Father had withdrawn money from his account in the time he'd been determined missing. Privately determined missing, of course. No word of his disappearance had hit the press, and instead, his Father had used it to his own advantage, stealing from his own son.

"Soul? Are you alright?", she placed a hand on his shoulder as he stopped dead in his tracks.

"..."

"Soul?"

He made a bit of a sniffing sound, unable to determine as his head was turned.

"..Soul? Are you alright?"

He did it again, this time turning to meet her gaze.

She pulled back a little.

His eyes had changed. They were red-the same crimson red-but different. Animal-like. This time, they'd dropped their human qualities. His eyes were hungry, like a wolves..Starved, almost.

She remained silent as he stared back at her with great curiosity, cocking his head a bit. He slightly drooled out of the corner of his mouth.

"...Soul!", she squeaked as he jerked forward, meeting her gaze directly.

He stood for a moment, curiously sniffing her. Her hair, her face, blinking a few times as he examined her features.

Then, for a moment, he was blank.

He stood in total shock, eyes wide and frightened before immediately turning away once more.

"..Soul?"

"Let's get going.", he muttered, walking toward the motorcycle.

"..Are you sure you're alright?"

He nodded.

She said nothing as she hopped onto the back of his motorcycle, gripping tightly once more as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Where are we going now?"

"Other side of town. We're done here, I don't suppose you wanna say 'bye' to any of your friends, Maka?", he joked.

She growled, "Just keep driving, wolf-boy."

He growled back, "Whatever."

It almost didn't feel right. Making fun of him so easily, so comfortably knowing very well she owed him much kindness. Not that she didn't enjoy the freedom. She enjoyed teasing him so carelessly, without the debt weighing heavily upon her shoulders.

However, it was still unnerving..

The way his eyes shifted, along with his senses, in a matter of seconds. At the moment he wasn't a human, trapped in a wolf's body. He was a real wolf.

That worried her.

"...Are you hungry?"

"...What?"

"Are you hungry, Soul?"

He hesitantly nodded.

"..Should we stop somewhere?"

"We only have fifty dollars. I'd prefer not to waste it on food."

"..I can pay."

"With what? As far as I know you're just about as broke as I am."

"I know, but you seemed a little..Hungry earlier."

He sighed, "Oh, that...I was, but I'll live so don't sweat it."

She inwardly sighed, feeling a little guiltier than before.

They lasted twenty minutes.

After a few long moments of silence, he rounded a sharp corner and jumped off of the bike.

"Soul!", she shrieked, immediately jerking forward to force the bike into a sudden stop, "What's wrong with you!"

He clutched his hand on the ground, laying on his side and choked out, "N-Nothing, just shut up and get on. We need to hurry."

"I don't understand. What's wrong, Soul? Are you transforming?"

He shook his head, "I don't know what this is."

"..Do you know anyone that might?"

He heaved slightly, "M-Maybe..I..I think I know someone who might have the book of Eibon. If we can find him he might know how to fix this."

She nodded.

She'd hoped when Blair had went on her little shopping spree, removing the collared pants would be all that was needed in order to restore his human form. But now..Now she wasn't quite sure what was happening. He'd never been in his human form, for this long, from what she remembered. But what if he transforms and can't do it again? What is she going to do on a journey to who-knows-where on a motorcycle she can't drive with a wolf who has no way of communicating?

He ran three red lights and cut a few people off, but luckily the police system in Death City sucked. Luckily for them, anyway. Her side of town had always been a little run down, along with a street-crime rate.

She leaned up a little on the bike, just enough to peer over his shoulder.

His hand was trembling. She couldn't tell if the rest of his body was doing the same but his hand was an absolute wreck. The same hand he'd clutched a moment ago.

His eyes. She couldn't see them, but she'd hoped they were they same human-shade of red crimson she'd come to know, and not the eyes of the Beast.

Then it occurred to her. What would happen if he'd lost control while he was driving? He'd already done it once, but he was fighting. She knew that much.

The only thing she could do now, was urge him on.

"Hod on tight.", he commanded through a groggy voice.

She did as she was told, clutching tightly on his waist as he sped up faster than before.

He repeated this process five times, speeding past the deserted area of town, until they reached a new part of the city. Maka couldn't recognize it.

"Is this the place?"

He nodded.

His breathing had calmed a little, his trembling hand slowing into minor twitches.

He parked the bike in front of a large case of stairs, ones she'd never seen before. This part of the city seemed strange, a little bit nicer than her side of town, but just as run down. Bricks were thrown about the floor and cobblestone cracked along the streets.

"Where are we?", she asked, running after him as he dashed up the flight of stairs.

"The academy. Hurry."

She nodded, picking up the pace.

As soon as they reached the top, they were greeted by two surprised yellow eyes.

"Soul? Is that really you?!", he gasped.

Soul nodded.

"I see. The book of Eibon, you need it don't you?"

"How'd you know?"

"I was doing a bit of research and came across an article of one of the magic tools left standing-the collar with the ability to match and possess anyone's soul's wave-link, turning that person into the animal most fit. After you disappeared, a search party was sent after you, only to discover the band of fugitives who'd taken you, were the same criminals who'd stolen the collar...We're sorry we couldn't help you sooner, they refused to tell us where you were, or what animal you might have become."

"A wolf.", he sighed, "I was stuck with some loser on the other side of town. I was there for about a month."

"A month. I see. Well, it's been two months since your disappearance, how did you manage to get back?"

He pointed at Maka, "Maka bought me one day and brought me home. It took a while, but when I figured out how to transform, I told her the story and she's been helping me ever since."

"Welcome, Maka.", he held a hand out, "I'm Kidd, Death The Kidd."

"Maka Albarn.", she smiled warmly, shaking his hand.

Soul's eyes shifted from normal-to beast like-then back to normal in a matter of seconds. He noticed, but he hid it well. It was rather disturbing how possessive he'd become. His wolf-like instincts had kicked in and amplified over time, now he has to figure out why.

"So, do you have that book you and Soul keep talking about? The book of Eibon?"

He nodded, "I have a special place for it in the schools library. Follow me and lay low, we don't need word of your return getting out until we figure out how to remove the effects of the collar. The collar itself-do you still have it?"

Maka sighed, "No, when he transforms into a human the collar just becomes a tag on the edge of his pants. Or at least, it was. We left his pants at my apartment, back in Death City."

"Hmm..", he thought for a moment, "Well, hopefully there will be no real need for the collar and if there is, we'll send someone back to get it."

"Thank you.", Maka sighed in relief.

He merely nodded, leading them down the large, fancy halls of the academy.

She'd heard of this school, but she hadn't believed the rumors. It was huge. Castle-worthy. The gothic architecture was amazing, the entire school seemed to be riddled with skulls and candles. It was strange, creepy, yet captivating to ones attention. Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

"Here we are.", he stated as they entered the large library, "Wait here for a moment. I'll be right back with the book."

They nodded.

Soul took a seat at the nearest table, examining both arms he'd placed in front of him.

As much as Maka loved reading, now wasn't the time. She wanted answers.

"Soul, do you have any idea what's wrong with you? I've never seen you act this way before."

In the short few days she's known him.

"I don't know. This has never happened before, it's the damn collars fault. I can't think straight."

"You were acting a little funny down at the bank, and the incident down the road..Are you sure you'll be alright from now on?"

He nodded reluctantly, "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself."

"That's a little impossible.", she bitterly thought.

"Are you sure you aren't hungry?"

He's silent for a moment, hesitating before shaking his head.

"Do they have a cafeteria here? Somewhere to eat?"

He nodded, "We can't go just yet. You have to be a student here to get food, and I'm not even sure if this is my school anymore."

"Why?"

"I was gone for two months, Maka.", he sighed, "They might have just kicked me out. My stupid Father probably didn't give a damn enough to call in sick for me, or anything really."

"..You don't know that for sure..Soul..Maybe he had a good reason-"

"You were there, Maka. He stole from his own damn son. He stole from the account he never even bothered to open. My brother did it for me, and the only reason they let him do it is because he never told them. I'm not even sure how they know about the stupid account."

"..I'm sorry, Soul."

He sighed, "Why are you sorry? You aren't the one who stole from me. If anything, I should thank you."

"Thank me?"

He nodded, "For everything."

She smiled, "It's nothing, really Soul I should be the one thanking you. I can't repay you enough for what you did."

"Anyone would have done it Maka."

"Yeah..But you saved me three times and all I did was yell at you, and complicate things..", she trailed off.

"Think about it Maka, if it wasn't for you I would never have come home. I'd probably be dead by now. That bastard was planning on putting me down, soon. I could feel it."

"...That's terrible."

He nodded, "I guess everyone on the other side of town is a jackass, huh?"

She giggled, "I guess that's true."

"You two! Come here immediately!"

They turned their attention toward Kidd on the other side of the room near the front counter, holding a book.

As they arrived, he propped the book open on the counter, reviewing each page.

"Alright, I've found a page regarding the dog collar. It's correct information, but it lacks crucial detail I'm afraid..", he sighed, eyes trailing all over the page, "Soul, in order to temporarily transform into a human, you must maintain a firm grip on ones wave-link. This person will have to grab back with equally strong grip. Then it mentions something about a certain balance, and imbalance. If each soul is balanced, neither will be dominant. If you're balanced, you should be able to stay in your human form without any complications. The person you connect with will be referred to as your 'Meister'."

He nodded, "Already covered. Maka's my Meister."

"I see.", he skimmed over the page again, "Here it says this bond will stay strong unless there's an external, or internal interference. I'm not quite sure what that means..It also says that if the bond is damaged too severely, the effected human runs the risk of never being able to transform properly."

Maka panicked, "So, if something goes wrong..Soul may never become a human again?"

He nodded, "It's not too late, so I don't think you need to worry yet. Have you been having any of the following complications?", he pointed down at the listed occurrences on the bottom of the page.

**Complications Include:**

**Inability to think like a proper human**

**Sudden craving for meat, or raw flesh**

**Increased animal instinct**

**Heightened senses (Hearing, smell, touch etc..)**

**Clouded judgement**

**Possessiveness regarding an object or person**

Soul cringed at the last one. So this really was just a side-effect of the damned collar..He knew it, but he was hoping it wouldn't be involved on a list of complications. Complications that could possibly indicate future, dire trouble.

"What does all of this mean?", Soul asked, slightly shaking.

"It means.."

"What is it?", panicked Maka, "What's wrong with him? What does it say?"

Kidd sighed before closing the book.

"He's becoming a wolf. He's transforming inwardly.."

"What the hell does that mean?!", he growled.

"It means..You're becoming an animal on the inside, and soon, there will be nothing left but the wolf inside of you."

* * *

**This is my third time trying to fix it. This particular chapter has a strong dislike for me.**

** Sorry if it didn't meet your expectations, try to enjoy the story.**

** Updates soon.**


	10. Arising Issues

Maka shriveled with panic.

She hadn't expected herself to care this much about the Beast. The animal that's caused her so much..Complications. However, that was in the past.

She'd hardened her heart until it was nothing but stone, but at every excuse, the thought of him would only retaliate with the image of him, the hero. He was definitely a life saver. She wouldn't have been able to handle Hiro on her own, and god knows what she would have done with those girls. Those idiot girls..Who were probably having the times of their lives at school now, spreading rumors to their heart's content. Stupid.

"H-How can we fix him!", she squeaks, much to everyone's surprise.

Kidd shoots her a sideways, curious glance, "Well..", he sighed, "As I said, the book lacks important information. I can't say for sure how you'll be able to change him back. It only gives you one instruction, nothing more.

She took the book and propped it open once again, skimming over the page until she found the instructions underneath the label "Reversing The Effect".

**Reversing The Effect:**

**In order to reverse the effect of the collar, effected person must join with their Meister. They must become ****_one_****.**

"Must become one?", she repeats, "What does that mean?"

He shrugs, "I'm afraid I don't know. I can execute a bit of further research, if you like."

She nodded, "Yes please."

"Maka..", Soul sighed, "This isn't your fight anymore."

"W-What?"

"You've done enough. You don't have to help me anymore."

"B-But..I..I..", she stuttered.

She wanted to protest, wanted to yell at him, to call him in idiot, anything. She wanted to stay here, to help, to watch him get his old life back. He deserves his old life back.

"Soul.", interrupted Kidd, "In order to get you back, we need Maka..Besides,", he added with a grim face, "We can't exactly let her leave now that she's in possession of a magic tool. By order of the academy, she must be kept under supervision. Since you're no longer a student at the moment, we'll be assigning someone else to watch over her. Not too closely, of course. We respect your privacy..You're not a criminal."

His eyes shifted again, but he ignored it and nodded.

"..Who exactly are you going to send?"

"Another student."

"A student? You trust students with jobs like this?"

He nodded, "Only the finest are accepted at the academy. No less than perfection..Just like this building.", he sighs in satisfaction, "The symmetry is amazing, don't you think?"

"..Excuse me?...Is there something wrong with you?", she noted his blank, expecting stare into space.

"Yes.", a voice cut in, "He's absolutely insane."

She turned around, greeted by two teenage girls, standing in the doorway.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Liz. This is my little sister Patty.", she pointed to the younger blonde girl next to her.

"Hi!~", the girl cheered, "Who are you?"

"..Maka.", she faintly smiled.

"Welcome to the academy, Maka...", she trailed off.

"W-What's wrong?"

"...Soul? Is that you?!", the girls ran toward the group, joining them around the counter where the book lay.

He nodded.

"Holy crap! Where have you been?! You just disappear for two months and you don't even say anything?! What's wrong with you!"

Kidd coughed, "I believe I can answer that."

"Huh? Kidd? You knew where he was? You never told us?!"

"Hahaha! Kidd's a liar!~"

Kidd shook his head, "No, nothing like that. I was just as surprised as you are.", he pointed to Maka, "I believe we owe this little surprise to Maka. If it wasn't for her, he'd still be missing, without a trace. There'd be no hope of finding him and he'd most likely have died before our search party could reach him. He was being held on the other side of the city."

"The other side of the city?! No way! That's so cool!~"

"Patty, that's not cool. That's bad.", she sighed, "Anyway, would someone please tell us what the hell is going on here?"

"Maka found him.", he stated, "I'm not sure how or when exactly but she's been taking care of him for the past month..That's all I know. That's why I was just going to ask you girls for help."

"What do you need, Kidd?"

"I need a pair of students to look after Maka. Now that she's in possession of a magic tool, she might need a little surveillance."

"You don't trust her? But she saved Soul's life!"

He sighed, "It's not that we don't trust her. We're afraid the thieves who came after Soul, might come after Maka. After all, in their minds Soul is just as much of a prize as the collar. They'd kill to get their hands on him. The fact a girl rescued him might not sit well with them, should they find out."

"Oh, well in that case we're on it. Who exactly did you have in mind for the job?"

"No one in particular. Just search around. Find someone strong, wise, and brave. If you can't, then we'll try to supervise as much as we can.."

"Why can't you supervise?", asked Maka.

"His Father runs the school.", replied Liz, "He usually has Kidd pretty busy with his own personal missions. Patty and I are like second hands of Kidd. He can't do anything without the two of us, or his symmetry would be off and he'd spit up blood and fall over."

"...Alright.", she sweat-dropped, "That makes sense."

"It'll make more sense later.", sighed Soul, "My apartment's still in town, right?"

They nodded, "The academy paid to keep it open.", stated Kidd, "The academy wasn't too eager to accept the fact one of their students had gone missing. They planned on finding you and the magic tool, one way or the other."

He nodded back, "Come on Maka."

"Wait, where are going?"

"Weren't you listening? My apartment. You're tired aren't you? Let's go."

"..Alright."

He grabbed her hand and led her back into the large hallways, out the door, and back on his motorcycle before she'd had time to process it.

His apartment was surprisingly..Humane. Better than what she would've expected, anyway. What surprised her the most, it was a two bedroom.

"Two bedrooms? Why do you need two bedrooms? Do you have a roommate?", she looked around curiously.

"No. I keep some stuff in the other room. It doesn't matter, never go in there, alright?"

She hesitated, "...Alright."

He cracked a faint smile, "Good. Now..I'm hungry."

She giggled, "I told you. Do you have any food? I can make you something if you want.."

"No Maka, you're a guest. You're not cooking for me."

"No really, I'm fine with it."

"No."

"..Please?"

"Nope."

"Why not, Soul? Come on, you have to let me help you somehow!"

"Maka.", he groaned, "You've already helped enough. I told you. I'm in your debt."

She groaned as well, "That's not true Soul. It's the other way around, you've helped me out more than I've helped you. Therefore, I get to do nice things for you, whether you like it or not."

"Persistent bookworm.."

"Perverted puppy."

"Puppy?! I'm a wolf!"

She hummed sarcastically, "Mhm, right~", she sang.

"I am not a puppy! I'm a killer!"

"Right~ Sure."

He imitated a dogs growl.

She giggled, "Hey, if you're a dog on the inside.."

He cocked his head.

Without warning, she raised a hand and gently scratched him behind the ear, while running her hand through his thick white hair.

"S-Stop!", he commanded as his leg shook below him, the way it would when his leg's exited.

"Why? This is fun!"

"Knock it off Maka! I'm not a dog!"

"Right, you're a puppy!"

"You're a witch!"

"Oh come on Soul, your leg is shaking so it must feel great, right?"

He growled, "My leg has a mind of its own. It doesn't mean a damn thing."

"It means you're a dog who enjoys getting scratched behind the ear."

He smirked, "Maybe I just like it when girls 'play' with me."

_MAKA-CHOP!_

"DAMNIT!", he choked out on the ground, "That's the last time I take you to a library."

"You had that coming."

_Knock knock knock._

"Who is it?", she called.

"Go away.", groaned Soul.

She lightly kicked him.

_Knock knock knock._

"...Come-"

"YAHOO!"

Maka stared in shock for thee reasons:

1) That boy just knocked the door down.

2) He had blue hair.

3) He had blue hair.

4) Did she mention he had blue hair?

"What's with the hair on this side of town?!", she thought, "First Soul, then Kidd, with the stripes on one side of his hair..Now this?! Who is this guy anyway!"

"Who are you!", she demanded, holding her book as a defensive warning.

"Hey Tsubaki! I told you she'd be here!"

The girl behind him meekly smiled, "Of course you did Black*Star."

"Yo Soul!", he cheered, "Long time no see, buddy! Where the hell have you been?!"

He picked himself up off the ground, "I've been a little busy."

Black*Star pointed an accusing finger at Maka, "AHA! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S BEEN HOLDING SOUL PRISONER, WELL GUESS WHAT GIRL, NOW YOU HAVE TO ANSWER TO ME!", he raised his voice, lunging forward.

Crash!

"You idiot. Don't touch her, she isn't the one who kidnapped me."

Soul's eyes shifted as he swiftly tripped the attacker, knocking the boy to the ground without warning.

He stood up and let out a loud laugh at the sight of Maka, "Oh yeah! I forgot. So this is the girl who saved you?!"

Soul groaned and nodded.

"ALRIGHT!", he held out a hand, looking up expectantly at Maka, "From this moment on, you are now a friend of the great Black*Star!"

She sweat-dropped, "Great. Such an honor."

He grinned, "I know! Try not to get intimidated by what a huge star I am!", he roughly shook her hand.

Soul growled, pushing him away much to both of their surprise.

"What the hell Soul?!"

"...", he looked down at his own hand, latched gently on Maka's, "Sorry. It's just, it was a long ride over here..She needs to rest, so don't be so rough with her."

"Soul.", she glared, "I can take care of myself, thank you."

"I know..", he softened his gaze, firmly holding her hand in his own.

No one had to tell him, he was fully aware he wasn't in control anymore. Whatever was inside of his head, now controlled his movements. It was consuming him, forcing him to act on impulse. He was only a little surprised at the fact he'd reacted so harshly toward Black*Star, his best friend. The thought of Maka in any type of danger drove him insane. Especially when it came to Black*Star. No matter how good of a friend he was, he'd seen the damage Black*Star could do when a friend of his own was in danger. It was chaos.

Though, he'd expect nothing less from the son of White*Star, former leader of the Star Clan.

Maka looked up at Soul, softening her glare.

She was a little surprised. He'd held her hand so gently, so carefully, yet he'd just nearly wounded his friend at the sight of the possible attack. She wasn't going to lie, the boy looked strong. Stronger than she'd be able to handle, much to her dismay. She never liked to admit being beaten, but she did what she had to in order to survive, to make the right decision. Right now, the right decision involved avoiding any possible fights with Black*Star.

What really caught her attention was the sight of Black*Star's tattoo, an outlines star on his shoulder.

It was the symbol of the star-clan. She recognized it well, though she'd never had any personal encounters. They were wiped out around the same time she was born, though by the looks of it, there'd been a survivor..

She looked uneasy. Black*Star noticed.

"You're curious about the tattoo, aren't you?", he softened his rough voice.

She hesitantly nodded.

He grinned, "It's fine, this tattoo is what makes me such a big star! Hey Tsubaki!", he called, "Tell them how I scared one guy so badly, he threatened to turn the entire village against me!"

She looked a bit worried, "Well..Yes..", she giggled, "You are a big star Black*Star, and he was afraid. If only he'd gotten to know you first, he wouldn't have had to worry..I think it's wrong to see people judge you so quickly..Just because of that tattoo."

He laughed, "Hah! As if any mere judgement from a mortal could damage my self-esteem, I'm going to surpass the gods, remember, Tsubaki?!"

She nodded.

"Exactly, and that means I can't let my emotions get the best of me! I need to keep a clear head, so I'll achieve my goal! I'll handle anything they throw at me, for any reason!"

She smiled a bit, "That's right. I believe in you, Black*Star."

Maka managed a small smile as well, "Well..That's great. It's very nice to meet you two. I'm Maka Albarn."

Tsubaki smiled and shook Maka's free hand, "Nice to meet you, Maka, I'm Tsubaki Nakatsukasa! We'll be your supervisors for the time being. We're here to keep you safe."

Black*Star shouted, "Yeah! No need to worry, no one's gonna mess with you when there's a star like me around!"

She giggled, "I hope you're right..So..Do you mind telling me about your..You know, tattoo?"

He blinked for a moment, "Oh! Yeah, I forgot! Hah!", he sat down on the coffee table, cross-legged, pressing down on each leg with each hand, "Well, the tattoo is the symbol of the star-clan, but I think you know that. My Father, the leader of the star-clan, White*Star, did a few bad things he wasn't supposed to. In turn, he faced the punishment and the entire clan ended up getting completely wiped out! But I was just a baby at the time so they spared my life. I've lived with the academy ever since!..Before I met Tsubaki, of course,", he glanced up at her, "I hate to admit it, but even a star like me needs a right-hand man! Besides Soul, of course. Tsubaki helps allot..", he trailed off, turning away from her blushing gaze.

If she was crazy, she could swear he'd had a slight blush of his own..Weird.

They each remained silent, exchanging silent glances in-between each other.

Tsubaki shyly admired Black*Star, staring at him in secret silence. She liked him allot. She always had. There was just something about him..He kept her safe. He'd never hurt her, and he was there when she needed him. He accepted her, and she did the same in return.

Black*Star kept thoughts focused on his own partner, admiring her from afar, as he always had. He was a little oblivious to his own emotion, so he thought nothing more of it than great appreciation for her..Sevices. Alright.. Maybe a little more than that. He felt something, but he couldn't quite place it.

Maka looked around at the three, each indulging in mysterious silence, thoughts wandering about. She couldn't tell what they were thinking about, they'd nearly all had calm thoughts, nearly all of them. Then, her thoughts wandered over to Soul, glaring down at the ground. She was a little intrigued, he'd failed to let go of her hand and she didn't really want him to. Even if his possessive actions were only a side-effect of the collars complications, she liked the way it felt. She liked feeling protected..By Soul.

Lastly, Soul kept his thoughts to himself. He tried not to think about her, tried not to encourage the effects.

He tried not to encourage the little voice in his head, whispering pure nonsense, poisoning his mind.

_"Be a man."_, the little voice commanded, _"She's your Meister, after all. You practically own her, why not show it? Leave your mark. Claim her as your own, before someone else does. You know there are plenty waiting for a chance like that."_

_"Shut up."_, he barked in his own head, _"You don't know anything. Leave me alone. Who are you, anyway?"_

_"Soul, I am you. I can't leave you alone because I'm apart of you now."_

_"Bullshit."_, he spat, _"Tell me who you are. Why are you here?"_

He shut his eyes, picturing himself in his own mind.

His mind had a will of its own. In an instant, he's placed in a fancy, decorative room.

He'd recognized the room as something known as 'The Black Room'. The same room used in his old house, in his old life, the room his parents would lock him in when they requested a private recital. Just so they'd have something to judge. One more thing to feel a little disappointed in, including him.

He groaned. Of all things, this room? Why! Stupid voice.

"Show yourself.", he growled.

He looked down at himself.

Somewhere along the way, he'd been placed in a soft, cushioned, red chair. He found himself dressed in an elegant, black and red pin-striped suit, with nothing holding his hair back.

"I'm right here. No need for the hostility.", the little voice chuckled, "I'll be here for a while, you know. Consider yourself my new home."

His eyes darted up across the room, where the little man stepped out of the shadows.

Or..At least he thought it was a man.

"What the hell are you."

"I'm an oni. Thanks for asking."

"You're not welcome.", he spat, "Get out of my head."

"Now now, that's no way to treat a guest, is it? Allow me to introduce myself."

He groaned, "Get on with it."

"You're a rude little brat aren't you.", he glared, "Oh well. I'm apart of you, so you'd better make nice. I'm that part of you that's amplified by the collar. The black-blood inside of your veins felt the need to form a little person, in other words, I'm madness. Your own personal madness."

"My..What? How did you know about the black-blood.", he growled.

He sighed, shaking his head in disapproval, "Of course, you're a slow one. Didn't you just hear me, boy? I'm apart of you. I know everything there is to know about you. Now, I suggest you shut up and listen if you want to know how to get rid of me."

"..I'm listening."

He grinned, "Good. Now, I assume you've read the book of Eibon?"

He nodded.

"Unclear, isn't it?"

He nodded again, narrowing his eyebrows.

"Well, the answer is simple, isn't it?"

He shook his head.

The oni groaned in frustration, "Damn you're dense. You and your Meister have to become one, you moron."

"What the hell does that mean?!"

"What else could it mean.", he growled.

"..."

"I see. You still don't get it do you?", he chuckled, "No matter. For now, I'll just let you chew on that. Why don't you go out there and enjoy your little friends, while you still have them."

He glared, "Shut up. I'm not losing anybody. I'm going to get my old life back."

"Keep telling yourself that boy. You and I both know where this is going. We both know you're nothing but a fool.", he let out one last fit of empty laughter, and with that, disappeared.

Soul was back in reality, his Meister's hand, still held firmly in his own.

Maka looked up at him with worried eyes and whispered, "Soul? What's wrong?"

He choked, "N-Nothing...What's happening.", he noted the missing supervisors.

"I'm not sure. Tsubaki and Black*Star ran outside. Black*Star was shouting something about..I don't really know.", she sweat-dropped.

"YAHOO!", Black*Star shouted, peering through the doorway.

"What's going on, Black*Star?", she asked.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Where are we going?"

"Out. Come on, let's go! Oh, and grab Soul! You'll need him for this!"

"Why? What are we doing?"

"What else?!", he grinned, "We're gonna help you guys become one!"


	11. Savoring

"Black*Star! I swear, you are so dead!"

"Dead?! I'm trying to help you! I deserve a thank you!"

"How the hell is this going to help us becoming 'one'?!", she growled, fighting her restraints.

It hadn't started out like this. At first, she and Tsubaki were having a lovely conversation. The next thing she knew, Black*Star whips out a kusarigama with a chain much too long, and she's trapped. Yes, trapped. Bonded and restrained with the chain, back to back with Soul.

"Black*Star you idiot..", groaned Soul, "I seriously doubt this is what Eibon had in mind. This is so uncool!"

"For once, I agree with Soul.", grumbled Maka.

"Black*Star..Maybe we should let them out?", whispered Tsubaki.

"No way! They'll never become one with that attitude!"

"At this rate, I don't think they'll become one at all..", she sighed.

He folded his arms, "Well it's not my fault Maka's stubborn."

"I'm what?!"

"Stubborn! This would be easy if you'd just bond with Soul already!"

"I barely know you, and I already wanna kick your ass!"

"Kick my ass? Do you know who you're talking to?! What are you gonna do, sick Soul on me!?"

"Oh no, I can kick your ass myself!"

"As if!"

"Guys!", Tsubaki cut in, "I don't think this is helping either of us..Maybe we should try something simpler, Black*Star."

Scratching the back of his head, he sighed, "I guess so, but only if Maka cooperate's this time!"

"Only if Black*Star doesn't tie us up again!", groaned Maka, "Where the hell did you get a kusarigama anyway?"

"It's Tsubaki's. I didn't think rope was good enough for a big star like me!"

"Whatever star you're talking about doesn't even compare to the size of your head.", she spat.

As the verbal fight raged on, Soul found himself drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Are you enjoying yourself?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about.", he growled.  
For unknown reasons, he felt himself drift about in darkness. His body floating lifelessly throughout the realms of his mind, he himself unable to move as he listened to the demons words.

Listen. That's all he could do.

"You've never been this close to your master. And you still haven't been. In case you haven't noticed, you've only been so close to her, because you had no choice."

"That's not true and you know it. What the hell are you saying, anyway?"  
"I'm saying all you are to her is a dog. A mutt she used for protection, for her own personal gain, and nothing more. You see it too, don't you?"

"Maka would never use me. She isn't like you, she has morals. Besides, if she's my Meister, then I exist solely to protect her. That's how it is, and that's how it's gonna stay until we get this collar off of my soul."  
"But what if it never comes off?", he taunted, "What if you're stuck as a useless, mindless animal for the rest of your life? Doomed to serve other people. Let them use you as they please, until they have the brains to throw you aside."

"You're wrong. They aren't using me."  
"Oh really? You felt the same way about your family, and look how that turned out. Your own father sells you out, and as if he'd already forgotten you, practically emptied your bank account."

"How did you know about that?", he snapped, "Get out of my head, you little freak."

"I'm not in your head, I'm in your soul. Haven't I explained? The collar amplifies your darkest desires. Your demons. I'm apart of you until the collar is off, but it's not off yet, is it? So until then, I guess you could say we're closer than you and your girly will ever be."

"Shut up! You don't know anything! They would never use me, and you're not apart of me. I'll get the stupid collar off, and when I do, I'm getting rid of you, you little freak!"  
"Of course you are. Just like your own family got rid of you? Admit it Soul, the problem doesn't root from your friends, or even the collar, it all started the day you were born. Since then your path has been chosen for you, isn't that right? Never a say in a single thing. Doomed as the puppet of the esteemed Evan's family, until you die and you're reduced to nothing more than a pile of dust in the wind."

"SHUT UP!"

"It's a cold world out there, Soul. The sooner you learn to accept it, the sooner you'll be able to release your morals, and embrace madness. Come on Soul, come inside. It's warm in here and nothing can hurt you."

As the demon spoke, a large, black, elegant door appeared next to the outer shell of his body.  
"I won't surrender to madness. I know what happens, if I do it now then I'll become the wolf that lives inside of me. Except, I won't be human anymore. It'll just be the wolf. The kishin inside of me. I'll disappear!"  
"Wouldn't you rather disappear than go on living as everybody's fool? Then again, I suppose you're nothing more than just that. A fool. A fool unwilling to jump at the deal of a lifetime when he sees it. Oh, by the way, your little friends are looking for you."

"Soul? Are you alright? We're worried about you."

Tsubaki..

"Hey Soul! Wake up buddy! Come on! One look at my big handsome face and-"

Black*Star...

"Oh be quiet Black*Star. Soul, what's wrong with you? Wake up already, Soul!"

Maka.

He awoke uncomfortably. The spaces on his arms, shoulder and chest where he'd been binded, now felt a little sore. Though the chain had been removed, and he'd found himself in a completely different location, the pain still surged through his bones. Gently, but efficiently, scraping him. Though, he supposed that was nothing compared to the pain dwelling inside of him. The pain that had for some reason, just now, seem to awaken.

"Where am I?", he rubbed his head as he arose.

Looking around, he realized he was in the Academy nurses office. Right on the hospital bed, surrounded by his..

Friends.

"What happened to you, Soul?", asked Maka.  
"Yeah Soul.", added Black*Star, "You fell asleep and you wouldn't wake up. I didn't hit you too hard did I?!", he grinned.

"No you idiot.", he sighed, "..I'm fine.", he lied, "I'm just a little tired. That's all."

"You must be a really heavy sleeper. I never noticed that about you, Soul.", weakly smiled Maka.

"You guys need to chill. I'm fine, really. I just need to take a nap or something."

"You mean you're still tired?", gasped Tsubaki.

He nodded, "What's wrong with that?"

Besides the fact it was a plain lie. He'd slept all weekend, and possibly all week before that. He slept often enough, and long enough, he was a little surprised he still had it in him. Sleep was the last thing he wanted. Though, he was curious, how were they able to drag him all the way to Shibusen?

"It's getting late.", Maka finally sighed, "We should get going, Soul. You should get some rest."

"Yes Maste-I, uh, Maka."

"Soul..", she hesitated, before placing a hand on his forehead, "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

His eyes quickly shifted, before he swatted her hand away, "Yeah Maka. Just..Let's get going, alright?"

Defeated, she shrugged, "I guess so. Bye Tsubaki, bye Black*Star, we'll see you tomorrow, right?"

Tsubaki smiled, "Get better, Soul. I don't think Black*Star's willing to give up until you two are truly one."

"Count on it!", cheered Black*Star, "You'll feel better in no time! Then we can get that stupid collar off, alright?!"

With one weak fist bump, the group separated leaving a disturbed Soul and an unnerved Maka alone, on their way to the apartment, the moon risen overhead.

Breaking the silence, she began her questions, "Soul, something's wrong, isn't it?"

"Hmm?", he flinched.

"You see it too, don't you?"

He shrugged, "I really don't know what you're talking about, Maka."

"You're becoming the animal."

"..."

"I see it, Soul. I can see it in your eyes. It's getting stronger, isn't it."

"..I don't know, Maka. I don't really want to think about it."

"But if you don't, how will you know if it's really happening? We have to figure this out sooner or later. I doubt Black*Star will be able to help us."

"You're probably right, but I still don't see anything wrong with me.", he lied, "Maybe you're just imagining things-!"

Without warning, she stopped in her tracks, grabbing Soul by both of his shoulders. She forced him around to face her, staring directly into his eyes.

"You can't lie to me, Soul.", she sighed, never dropped her gaze, "I told you. I can see it in your eyes. The beast awakens when I touch you, doesn't it? I trigger the collar."

Silence.

"..It's possible. Only the Meister has that kind of power. I just..Lose control when you're around. Every animal instinct kicks in, but it's only for that second. Nothing else matters except for my master, when it happens. I become an animal, with no morals. Only loyalty."

"..I see.", she weakly chuckled, "Blind loyalty."

He looked down, in slight shame.

Without warning, she pulled him close for a short, quick hug, before releasing him and taking her place by his side once more, as they walked up to the apartment complex.

He's dumbfounded, fighting his animal instincts all the while, trying to piece together what had happened. Why on earth would she sympathize with him?

"By the way, Soul.", she said as they walked into the apartment, "No matter what happens, you'll always be Soul, alright?"

Silence.

...

At last, he nodded.

"Go to sleep. You still can, right? You should be able to."

She nodded, "It's easier when you're..In the same room.", she hesitated.

"..Do you want to sleep in my room?"

Startled, she hid an indignant blush, "N-No! That's..That's now what I.."

Placing a hand on her shoulder, he chuckled, "Relax Maka. That's not what I meant."

Sighing in relief, she smiled, "Alright. Will you maybe just..I don't know..Sleep in the same room? It's easier to..", she trailed off, "If you don't want to, I understand."

Shrugging, he sighed, "I'm fine with it Maka."

"...Alright.", she walked toward the door, "I'll see you when you get out, then."

He nodded.

Quickly pulling off his clothes, he hopped in the shower. Lost in thought, he ran the warm water over his body, drenching every part of stomach, legs, muscles, and hair. Once finished, he hopped out, threw the towel around his waist, and stood in front of the mirror.

Just for a moment, he wanted to savor the image. His human body, fully formed and figured, able to speak, chat, and converse just like any other human. This was a moment, he dreaded letting go.

However, that did not mean he wasn't ready. He knew what was probable. The demon knew it too. Soon, he'd become the beast. Everything he'd ever been and was, would soon disappear. Once that happened, it would be too late.

Yes, he dreaded that day. He longed for the days he would stand in the mirror, knowing full well he'd still be there later. That person would not disappear. He would stay human as long as he needed.

Dreading the day, he stared with despair at the mirror, looking deep into his own eyes.

He knew this wouldn't last long. Soon he'd disappear, lost, forgotten.

He bitterly realized that, as he watched his eyes shift in the mirror.

_ Human, beast, to human. But for how long?_

* * *

She felt his pain. After she'd gripped a wave-link or two, she refused to let go. For whatever reason, she couldn't. His soul felt so secure, wrapping herself around it. She enjoyed their connection. The connection, the relationship they shared, no matter how small it may be. He was understanding, noble, loyal. She envied that.

He was one of the few men she'd ever met, who shared any of those traits.

_"A wolf"_, she thought, _"It fits."_

He doubted himself. She knew that much. Through his wave-links to hers, she felt a drowning sadness, consuming him deep within. She knew something was wrong. He kept it from her, he's been keeping it from her, for some time now. Since he'd fallen unconscious, she monitored his soul. It was almost..tortured. Suffocating in pure madness, only for the moment.

However, with the little strength it had left, it fought back. He wasn't willing to surrender, and neither was she.

She also knew the beast was not dead. It lay deep within him, dwelling in his soul, trapped.

_"I want to help him."_, she sighed to herself, _"I want to comfort him. I want to tell him everything's going to be okay, but I can't. I can't get that close to Soul, I'll disappoint him..I don't know a thing about being a Meister. What am I supposed to do? I won't be able to help. I don't know what I'm doing..He's hiding something from me..Does he trust me?...Probably not. Why would he? I haven't done anything for him. He has no reason to trust me, does he?...No, I didn't think so. He says he owes me..For saving him from that man but..I treated him like an animal. I neglected him, demeaned him, everything. I made him feel like a dog. I'm terrible. I can't help him..But I don't want to...Lose him.."_

Fighting the angry tears in her eyes, she forced them shut, in a feeble attempt to sleep.

No use. It didn't work, no, not without Soul. Nothing seemed to work right without Soul.

But what was she to do? There was no way she could help him. No way to recover what has been lost, no lead on the stupid riddle. At this rate, it was inevitable, she was going to lose him. _He was going to disappear.._

__Suddenly, two warm arms wrapped around her. She gasped, slightly startled, before recognizing the touch. The familiar wave-link..

"Soul?"

"Sorry..", he whispered, "Is this okay?"

Hesitantly, she nodded.

"Sorry. You wanted me to sleep in the same room and..I..I don't like sleeping on the floor."

"It's fine.", she sighed in slight relief, "I don't mind, Soul."

Nuzzling into her neck, he shut his eyes as well, "Goodnight."

Trying to ignore the comfort, the heat, the warmth, she shut her eyes. After getting used to him, she turned over to rest her head on his well-built, naked chest. She breathed in his scent, took in his image, took comfort in his arms.

He noticed. He was barely asleep, but he noticed her comfort. He noticed her, settling in, absorbing his warmth. He enjoyed the sight, it was comforting. So comforting, yet so unnerving.

The hardest part of disappearing, would definitely be saying goodbye..To Maka.

She knew he was fading. Most things did, after a while. Even the most extraordinary things. Things, people, anything. People like him.

Settling back into his arms, she took comfort in his body. Whether it was only a moment, or forever, she would cherish his skin. His skin, his body, his human form. Just as long as she could. Only to prove to herself, that somehow, he had not disappeared. He hadn't disappeared, and he would not anytime soon.

Yet, no matter how many times she tried to wrap her mind around it..

She just could not figure out, how to become one.

* * *

I'm back! At long last! I'm not dead! My writers block is cured, double champagne for all of my friends who waited for me(Seriously, I'll make up for the wait somehow)! Well, I have work to get back to. This time I'll be sure to update soon.


	12. Nightmares

His dreams became his nightmares. The demon no longer provided the space required for clear thinking; Instead, he invaded his thoughts. Soul knew all too well what he was dealing with-and he didn't like it one little bit. The damn demon was provoking him, steering him toward madness. His soul, his body, his mind-no longer belonged to him.

That's what crossed his mind the moment he woke up. It had been another long night, and once again, the demon had captured his mind. The last thing he recalled that night, was holding Maka. Her wave-link overwhelmed him, comfort him, almost unconsciously. He embraced her warmth and offered his own in return. Having done that, he drifted away sleepily.

However, he'd let his guard down, giving the demon an open attack.

"You again.", he spat at the well-dressed oni.

"Be careful Soul, if you keep greeting me that way, I may have to get a little more aggressive. We wouldn't want that, now would we?"

Rolling his eyes, he sat almost comfortably in his red, velvety chair. The demon silently circled the room, dancing strangely to unfitting, familiar music.

"What did you want with me this time?", he sighed, shutting his eyes.

"I don't want anything Soul, don't you know? You belong to me now."

"I don't belong to anyone. You're out of your mind you little freak."

"On the contrary, you're only half right. You belong to me, but I seem to have to share you with another, for now."

"No one else owns me either, like I said, you're out of your mind."

"Am I, Soul? Am I really? Think about it for a moment."

Pondering, he came to the same conclusion. The demon was nuts, simple as that.

Rubbing his temples, the demon groaned in annoyance, "You're dense. Would you like me to explain?"

Hesitantly, he nodded.

"You're right about not owning Soul, he's his own person. A strong man, in fact. However, with the power of the collar encasing your own soul in madness, you're not really Soul, are you?"

"That stupid collar doesn't define who I am, and neither do you. No matter what happens to me, I'll always be Soul Eater. Nothing changes."

The demon cackled like a maniac before quickly regaining his composure, "You're wrong again, boy."

"What the hell are you talking about now, you damn creep."

"I shouldn't have to point it out, Soul. Isn't it obvious? You aren't Soul Eater, either. No, you've shied away from your true face. Are you having fun, hiding behind that little mask of yours? Does it scare you, Soul? Are you afraid that one day, they'll find out who you truly are?"

"I'm not hiding anything from them. They know who I am, and they know where I'm from. Nothing else matters."

"Oh, so it doesn't matter to you anymore? Your dear brother would be heartbroken to hear that, you know."

"Leave Wes out of this.", he growled, "I've had enough of you. Just shut up."

"You can't hide from it forever, Soul. Think of how you've disappointed everyone who's ever believed in you. Your friends, your brother, yourself. I would say your family, but they probably never had any faith in you to begin with."

"So what if they didn't?! Why should I care? They don't have to worry about it anymore, and neither do I, so shut up."

"Oh, you're all too right about that, Soul. They believe you're dead, don't they? That must have been such a relief to them. Everyone in that pretty mansion of yours, rejoicing over the loss of their youngest. Their biggest failure."

"Shut up!", he snapped again, "I don't care about any of them. I'm not an Evans anymore, so why worry about it? If you think you're convincing me, you've got it wrong. I won't _surrender to madness_ and you can't make me. As long as I'm still human in the slightest, I won't give up and I won't listen to you."

Silently, the demon approached. Without the slightest warning, he gripped the boys chin tightly, pulling it down eye-level with his own.

"Do you know what I see, Evans?"

Unable to speak, he remained silent.

"I see a troubled soul, where pain, sorry, and misery reside as one. When I look into your eyes, I see a monster. A beast capable of destruction and an aftermath equivalent to that which you've endured. Wouldn't you like a taste of sweet revenge, just once, Soul?"

The boy didn't respond, instead, fighting his grip.

"You're still a child.", he spat, "No matter how I look at you, you're just an ignorant fool incapable of realizing everything I have to offer you. I'll let you go back to your precious Meister now, but keep in mind, I'll always be your real owner. No matter what happens, your body, your soul..", he trailed off as the room and the demon drifted off into darkness, encasing him.

"_They belong to me now."_

Soul woke up with a start. Those words replayed over and over in his head, much like the broken record placed within the room. However, the words were much clearer. They held truth to them, the demon would never leave him now. The freedom he'd longed for had been stripped away in less than a day, and no one was to blame but himself.

Well, he could blame the events which led to his kidnapping, following his arrival at the academy, but he'd rather not. Even if he had, no one was listening and the past could never be undone, so what's the point in dwelling in that which cannot be wronged any further, only righted?

So, with that thought in mind, he opened his eyes, greeted by a sleeping Maka.

_She looked peaceful. Unharmed, safe. A sleeping angel._

He pushed the possessive thoughts away, crawling out of bed, carefully, so as not to disturb her. Checking the alarm clock which had yet to go off, he'd realized it was four in the morning. Nearly three hours before he usually woke up-he could thank the demon for that one. Unsure of what to do, he trailed the apartment for a while. One thought came to mind, but it really would do him no good. At this point, he wasn't sure if there was any hope left for him-none besides Maka.

_ "The book of Eibon."_, he sighed inwardly, _"It could help, but I don't see what good it'd do. Kidd checked that book a thousand times, there are no instructions on how to become one."_

Angrily spreading his hands across the bathroom counter, he peered deep into the mirror, staring straight into his eyes. As expected, he was acquainted with the eyes of the beast. A deep golden color overwhelmed his crimson orbs. When it happened, his senses were often heightened, as were his instincts.

So, strictly driven by the lure of nature, that's how he found himself in the middle of the desert, at four in the morning.

* * *

**Sorry if this is short, I'm running out of time. I'll probably start writing more often when summer vacation starts, then I have the free time and patience to get this done. Right now I have some errands to run so~**


	13. Wading The Storm

She woke up, hours after he did.

The dim sun shone lightly through the curtained window. Unable to sleep any longer, she slowly opened her eyes, expecting the comforting gaze of her new partner..

Shaking the pestering thoughts from her mind, she turned over in the soft bed. Much to her surprise, it was empty. That explained the lack of wave-link she felt, and her early morning. It felt a little eerie, to her distaste. The weather looked a little stormy..Quite unusual for Death City. However, not impossible, as she'd witnessed so many years ago. Storm clouds weighed heavily in the sky, threatening the dry ground below. It was enough to worry her, only slightly. She called out for Soul.

"Soul? Are you in here? I think it's going to rain today."

She waited a minute, receiving no reply.

"Soul?", she called again, "Are you in here?", she stood up and made her way to the door, looking around the hallway for a moment before checking the bathroom.

Seeing as he wasn't there, she checked the living room, then the kitchen, followed by the guest room.

Still unable to find him, she slammed the door in annoyance, "Where is he now? I know he couldn't have gotten far. He can't stay that far apart without turning into a wolf..Right?", she mumbled to no one in particular.

She took one last look out the window before confirming her fears. The storm clouds were riding in and if she could not catch Soul in time, he may catch a cold..Or worse. Not exactly sure what she was worried about, she shrugged it off and threw on the nearest thing she could find-Soul's jacket. It seemed a little small for Soul, but it fit her. It hung a bit loosely off her shoulders, but she pulled the yellow aviators jacket off quite well.

She opened the door and tread silently down the steps, away from the apartment, so as not to wake Black*Star or Tsubaki. All was quiet in Death City. Not a single person walking about on the streets-probably due to the disturbing skies. The weather was a bit chilly, but she didn't mind. She was used to this, as she had not had the luxury of a heater in her old apartment. However, though she may not have all of the details, she was well aware of Soul's background. At some point in his life, he'd lived in luxury. That was enough to worry her-how would he fair in this whether, would he truly catch cold?

He seemed like a strong boy..He can certainly handle himself. She'd almost forgotten that dreaded month in which he'd lived as a lowly creature, among the abusive gentlemen who'd taken him in. That also brought her to another question, why would his father draw money from his own bank account?

Shaking the obnoxious questions away for the millionth time, she stopped in her tracks. Apparently, in that short time, she'd wandered far off to the outskirts of Death City, right where concrete met desert.

Getting her hopes up, she shouted, "Soul?"

Unsure of what she was expecting, she received no reply.

"Soul?", she tried again, "Soul! Are you out here? Soul!"

According to the book, one of the complications of the collar included heightened senses. One of those sense included hearing..Which, at the moment, should work in her favor..After all, the collar was supposed to keep them together, right?

The crackle of lightning disrupted her thoughts. Looking up, she realized the clouds had grown closer. Now they resided directly overhead, and if she was correct, it would be a matter of minutes before the weather quickly became unbearable..For a wolf, at least.

"Soul?!", she called louder, "Soul! Answer me! Are you out here?!"

The wind began to pick up.

Seeing as she had no other choice, she tread further into the desert. The wind blew harder than expected, regardless of the storm. She covered her face with both arms and walked forward, doing her best to ignore the sudden gust of cold. Perhaps it would help if she had grabbed a pair of pants along the way..

Dust clouded her vision, making it nearly impossible to see clearly. Despite the harsh nature, she pushed on, determined to find her partner.

"_When did I start caring so much?"_, she bitterly laughed, _"It's just the Beast.."_

That's what she wanted to believe, at least. After such little time, she'd found herself regarding the Beast as a person..And now..Well, now she's in the middle of the desert, looking a storm directly in the eye, all for a pet.

"_I swear. Soul, if you're still alive, I'm going to kill you."_

Without warning, lightning struck the ground somewhere nearby. Unable to see clearly, she assumed it was close. Frightened, worried, anxious, she pushed forward, desperately fighting off the sand which persisted all around her. It was absolutely frightening, but none of this measured up to the sight before her.

Below her feet, she felt the fur of a familiar animal..It's white coat shone brightly, even through the dust, and the red eyes pierced even the dim weather, thrown off by the storm.

"Soul?", she panicked, seeing the animal laying on the ground, "Are you alright? Speak to me! Soul?!"

Placing one hand on the Beast, she concentrated deeply on his wave-link.

She assumed it worked, as she was unable to feel the fur any longer. Instead, a few feet before her, stood the tall, male figure. He staggered toward her, clearly troubled by the wind and dust clouding his past. The lightning had missed, she was certain of that, but the storm must have shaken him up. After all, he had been in his wolf form..Meaning, he was probably unable to decipher where exactly he had ended up, and why.

"Soul..", she whispered, "Come closer. I'm right here."

He obeyed, silently nodding. He lasted only a few feet, before stopping dead in front of her, and collapsing. She caught him and held him up to her best ability, and with every drop of strength in her body, helped him out of the storm. It was difficult, agonizing, and painful, excluding the weather, but regardless, she found herself back in Death City. The first thing she did, was call for help.

"Help!", she shouted as she reached the apartment, an unconscious Soul on her shoulder, "Black*Star! Tsubaki! Someone!"

It took a minute or two before someone actually heard her, and a few obnoxious scolds from sleeping neighbors, she gracefully ignored, but eventually Tsubaki stepped out of the comforts of her apartment building. The wind had picked up and rain crashed heavily upon the ground.

"Tsubaki!", she called above the rain, "Help! It's Soul!"

"Maka?!", Tsubaki shouted in distress.

She stood in the doorway of her and Black*Star's quaint apartment building, in nothing but a thick robe.

"I'm on my way! Hang on! Is it Soul?!"

She nodded, "He needs help! We need to get him to the doctor!"

"Black*Star!", she panicked as she ran back inside, "Black*Star, we need you!"

Groggily waking from his sleep, he noted the storm taking place, along with Tsubaki hastily shaking his sides.

"What is it?", he yawned, "I'm tired. It's Saturday, can't we sleep?"

Shaking her head, she added in half-tears, "It's Soul and Maka! Something's wrong with Soul! Maka's caught in the storm and she can't wake Soul up!"

"Again?! What is wrong with that guy!", he groaned, "Oh well. Better go save them! Let's go, Tsubaki!"

"Right.", she nodded, following him out the door.

Though panicking inwardly, Maka remained semi-composed on the outside..As composed as she could be. She was uncomfortable with displaying too much weakness in front of them..Especially regarding Soul. After all, they still regarded her as a criminal. She would not forget that until she cleared her name. On top of that, panicking would do more harm than good. At this point, the only thing they could do for Soul is get him to the academy..At least, that's what they would do..If it wasn't a weekend.

"What do we do?!", cried Maka.

"It's alright Maka.", reassured Tsubaki, "I'm sure Soul is alright..Let's get him home, then we'll nurse him back to health. He should be alright, if we just take care of him. Isn't that right Black*-!"

"SOUL! WAKE UP! ONE LOOK AT MY HANDSOME FACE AND YOU'LL-!"

"BLACK*STAR NO!"

"_MAKA-CHOP!"_


End file.
